The Originals Alternate Season Two
by heartoftheshadow
Summary: This story is basically an AU from the ending of 2x14 onwards in which Kaleb (Kol) survives Finn's hex. The main pairings include Klaus/Cami, Elijah/Hayley, Kol/Davina and Josh/Aiden.
1. I Love You, Goodbye

_Author's Note: This story is basically an AU from 2x14: I Love You, Goodbye and onwards in which Kol/Kaleb survives Finn's hex. I'm a really huge Kol fan who was disappointed that they killed the character off not once, but twice, and I'm pessimistic as to whether he'll be resurrected on the show in the season finale. That being said, this story will not be entirely Kol centric, but he will play a large role in the story._

 _P.S. Mikael and Aiden won't die in this version of events either._

The interior of the tomb was decorated with candles. Elijah and Klaus entered, both with an arm drapped over the shoulders, supporting the weight of their dying little brother, Kol. Rebekah and Davina followed, Davina gripping a necklace tightly in her hands. Rebekah quickly sat down in the centre of the tomb, Klaus and Elijah gently lowering Kol closer to the ground, laying the back of his head on Rebekah's lap.

Kol blinked painfully, and looked up at his baby sister, who was now cradling him in his last hour. He tried to force a smile on his face, even as blood spilled out of his nose. His body ached, or at least, the body he was in. _It's not even my body that's withering away,_ Kol thought to himself silently. _It's someone else's. I'll have to share a bloody grave, I won't even get one of my own._ It was frustrating, and yet, it didn't seem worth worrying about at this particular moment. All that mattered was that he was surrounded by his brothers, sister, and the girl he held so close to his heart. Kol groaned as the pain he felt all over intensified. He opened his mouth to cough, drops of blood launching out of his throat and into the air.

Davina sat a few feet away from Kol and Rebekah, eyes closed and whispering a chant while fiddling with the necklace in her hands. Her face was wet with tears. She was desperate to save Kol, she couldn't lose anyone else, not after Tim.

Kol lifted himself up out of Rebekah's lap by grabbing on to the lapels of Klaus' coat. He looked into his older brother's eyes and held the gaze for a moment. He saw the tears forming in the corners of the hybrid's eyes. His brother Klaus, the one who daggered him repeatedly, was shedding tears for him. "All my life," Kol said, holding back another cough. "All I ever wanted, was for you lot to care about me."

Klaus struggled to hold back more tears, pained by his brother's words. Kol let go of his brother's laps and chuckled weakly, before breaking into a coughing fit, startling Rebekah. She rubbed her brother's back as he coughed, Elijah gently putting his hand on Kol's shoulder, hoping to comfort him. The two of them slowly lowered his head back onto Rebekah's lap. Impulsively, Kol reached for his sister's hand and squeezed as he let out another groan.

Davina's chanting stopped as the stone of the necklace in her hands began to glow brightly. Klaus redirected his attention towards Davina, noticing the glow almost immediately. Frantically, Davina crawled over to the sickly Kol, handing him the necklace.

Kol released his grip on his sister's hand and took the necklace from Davina. The glowing stopped. "I tried a different spell," Davina said softly, smiling through her tears.

With Rebekah and Davina's help, Kol put the necklace on, not taking the time to ask any questions. The moment the stone met with his bare skin, Kol felt his pain begin to lessen, as if the stone was somehow absorbing it. "You'll live," Davina started. "It won't break the hex, but it'll buy us more time. As long as you don't take the necklace off."

"How much time?" Rebekah asked.

"I-I don't know. Kol, how do you feel?"

 _ **In the Arkansas Morgue...** _

Finn, now fully healed from his burn wounds, sat up prudently on the autopsy table with the help of his older sister Freya. The last thing he remembered was seeing Elijah take a ring off his finger as he held it up to an open window. Then everything erupted in flames, and a voice that he recognized but couldn't quite put a name to it spoke in his ear as the flames consumed his flesh. Now he was in a morgue. He didn't entirely understand what was going on, but he knew, judging by his surroundings, that he had died and somehow came back to life.

"Sage," Finn whispered to himself quietly, identifying the voice that called to him in his last moments.

Freya titled her head, giving Finn a perplexed look. "Who?"

Finn shook his head. "What did you do? How?"

Freya didn't bother to question it. "It took a while, but I healed you. Brought you back from death, using this," Freya replied, gesturing to the blue pendant talisman in Finn's hands. Finn took a moment to examine the talisman, baffled at how much power it seemed to contain.

"Your pendant," Finn spoke letting out a small laugh. "You did say it would protect me."

"It's a talisman used to focus my power," Freya stated matter-of-factly. "I knew it would be dangerous to face Elijah by yourself. I didn't wanna see you get hurt."

Finn smiled widely. "Just like when we were children," Finn said as he attempted to get to his feet, letting out a moan in the process. He had been risen from the grave once before and he didn't remember being this sore the last time he was resurrected. "I seem to recall you were always defending me."

Freya took her brother's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "You're my brother Finn. I'll always protect you," Freya paused, her smile fading. She dropped Finn's hand, looking down at the floor and avoiding her brother's eyes. "And I'll need you to protect me too. Dahlia must have sensed Niklaus' child by now. Chances are she's already on her way."

Finn didn't seem phased at all by his sister's words. "Niklaus used magic to cloak his daughter from Esther. I would think it would take a bit of time before our wicked aunt finds her-"

Freya cut her brother off before he could finish. "You don't understand. Esther's power was nothing compared to Dahlia's. I was taken when I was only _five_ years old. I had just _started_ to display a potential for magic. It is the magic that resides within Niklaus' daughter that will draw Dahlia here. It will serve as a beacon, calling her. Dahlia _will_ come, she will take what's her and she will kill anyone that stands in her path."

 ** _At the Compound..._**

Hayley was standing in the nursery, holding her daughter tight in her arms. She looked towards her new husband, Jackson Kenner, who was watching them both from the doorway, wearing the biggest grin on his face. She had never seen anyone look so happy before. Hayley gave a half-hearted smile back, trying to force herself to be just as happy.

Hope dug her head into Hayley's shoulder, as if she was trying to comfort her.


	2. Ain't No City Like New Orleans, Part 1

_Author's Note: Well, here it is, the next chapter. I know that not everyone likes Hayley (To be perfectly honest, as of the latest episodes, I'm not a fan of hers either), but hopefully in this story I can make her tolerable enough that readers won't mind her. That being said she's not in this chapter (you may breathe a sigh of relief now). I also know that I may not have the best grasp of the characters yet, so my apologies if some of them seem a bit OOC, hopefully I'll get better as the story goes on._

The sun was just beginning to rise. Klaus stood on the balcony of the Mikaelson Compound that overlooked the courtyard, a bottle of vodka tightly gripped in his left hand that he had barely drank from. It had been a long night to say the least. He nearly faced the grim reality of Kol dying for a second time, and in the back of his head, Klaus knew that had they lost their little brother back there they might have lost him forever. They weren't suppose to be able to be killed so easily. As if worrying about the possible threat of Dahlia wasn't enough, he also had to worry about the safety of those closest to him. Worrying about whether someone he cared about would live or dying was an uncomfortable feeling for Klaus, mostly because he hadn't felt it all that often. Especially before his daughter was born. His daughter who was starting to bring out the humanity in him.

His daughter didn't give him strength, she gave him a weakness. Something for his many enemies to exploit. A weakness that Finn tried to exploit. Klaus' hands turned into fists just at the thought of his murderous older brother. Finn. Finn who tried to kill his daughter, Finn who tried to help their mother rob Cami of her body, Finn who hexed Kol to die. Klaus dropped the bottle he was holding, the bottle hitting the floor and shattering, liquid spilling everywhere. He had just about had it with Finn. Today, he was going to send his brother back to the Netherworld that their mother raised him from, regardless of the cost. Finn Mikaelson was going to die.

 ** _The Streets of New Orleans..._ **

Rebekah, Kol and Davina wandered around a street bazaar full of people selling various wares. Kol led the trio through the crowded streets, still wearing the necklace that Davina made to save him from Finn's hex. He was eager to get the necklace off as soon as possible, but right now, he couldn't do that without dying. On the bright side, he no longer felt any physical pain related to the hex. But the necklace didn't null the effects of Finn's hex completely; he still couldn't jump bodies even with the necklace on.

Suddenly, Rebekah's cell phone began to ring loudly and obnoxiously. Kol and Davina stopped what they were doing and looked to Rebekah.

Rebekah took out her phone to check to see how was calling. "It's Nik," Rebekah announced.

With that, Rebekah answered her phone while Kol and Davina continued to look through merchandize they could use to help Kol break his hex. "Is everything okay Nik?"

"I'd just thought I'd let you know that I have every intention of killing our _dear_ brother Finn before sunset tonight."

"You're going after Finn? All by yourself? Do you even know where our brother is?" Rebekah asked.

"Not exactly, but apparently, one Vincent Griffith is still up and wandering around. I don't know how his vessel survived that encounter with Elijah, but I can assure you, sister, both Finn and Vincent will not be coming back from the dead anytime soon after I pay them a visit."

"Are you not going to ask for Elijah's help in the matter? He alone struggled to take down Finn, Nik, what makes you think you'll fare any better if you impulsively come after him?"

Klaus paused. "As much as I would like our older brother's help in killing Finn, if his _delicate sensibilities_ are _offended_ by the presence of Hayley's new husband, then he's more than welcome to continue sulking across the river."

"Could the situation become any more awkward?"

"There's nothing awkward about it!" Klaus protested. "Hayley and Hope are currently living at the compound where they are _safe_. I am trying to do what's in the best interest of my daughter. Last I spoke with Elijah, he claimed he was in Algiers purely to assemble allies. Take with that what you will."

Rebekah hesitated to say any more. She knew that when Klaus made up his mind there was no changing it. Though she felt sympathy for Elijah and understood why he left the compound now that Hayley's new husband was living with them, she never wanted Elijah to be with Hayley in the first place. Chances are it wouldn't end well, and even if it did, Elijah would then be the uncle and step-father of Hope, and no doubt the insecure Klaus would not be on board with that. "Fine. Do what you will, Nik. Just, please be careful. The last thing Hope needs is to grow up without a father."

Rebekah heard Klaus hang up on her and let out a small sigh. She hung up her phone, and looked to Kol and Davina, who were at a booth a couple of feet away. In the booth, was a scruffy looking man. He was tall, wearing a darkly coloured bandana, had a long, grey beard and a large belly that sagged outward. Rebekah swallowed hard and walked over to the booth, immediately catching the eye of the scruffy looking man.

The scruffy looking man scowled at Rebekah. Kol and Davina continued to look at items, oblivious to the situation that was unfolding next to them.

Rebekah knew that the look the man was giving her meant he recognized her, or more accurately, the body she was placed in. She still knew little to nothing about the body she was inhabiting; she hadn't planned on staying in it for this long. Quickly, Rebekah turned around, hoping to walk away, only to be stopped by another man who was now standing before her, this one just as tall, but leaner, and somehow more menancing looking.

"Well, hello there," Rebekah said nervously, eyeing the man before her, trying to carry the same authority she had back while she was an original vampire.

Upon hearing Rebekah open her mouth, Kol and Davina turned around, noticing not only the man who was standing in front of Rebekah, but that everybody on the street seemed to be staring at Rebekah, some fearfully, others looking upon her with disdain. Kol stepped forward, grabbing the man who was approaching his sister by the shoulder. "Hey mate, what do you say you back away from my sister before someone gets hurt, that someone being you," Kol warned in the most threatening tone he could use.

The man seemed unaffected by Kol's threat, not even addressing his presence. He was focused purely on Rebekah. "You have some nerve showing your face in these parts, Eva Sinclair. You will die for what you've done to our kind."

Kol angrily shoved the warlock threatening his little sister backwards, using so much force he nearly knocked the guy off his feet. Davina's eyes widened, not exactly use to seeing Kol this way. "Did I not tell you to stay away from my sister?! This Eva girl no longer inhabits the body of the girl you see before you. Her body is now a vessel for the Original vampire Rebekah Mikaelson, now kindly bugger off before I take you to meet your ancestors early."

The warlock stared at Kol in disbelief. "You would dare defend the demon who snuffed the lives of innocent children?"

Rebekah's heart sank. _Children?_ She felt sick to her stomach. The woman whose flesh she was in, whose live she had taken over, was a child killer.

"I have no bloody clue what you're talking about mate," Kol replied.

 **In the St. Louis Cathedral Bell Tower...**

Finn was hiding from his siblings in the bell tower of the cathedral, still reeling from the aftermath of his latest resurrection. Though the ache in his lower back was gone, and the overall stiffness, he still felt like he was in a permanent state of confusion. He looked anxiously out the window of the bell tower, watching the going ons of New Orleans, keeping an eye out for any trace of Klaus or Elijah. Freya came up from behind him, startling him.

"You're worrying for nothing. I've made sure no vampire can step foot in here as long as we're inside," Freya assured her brother. "Including Niklaus and Elijah."

"I'm not _worried_ ," Finn insisted. "I'm just impatient for a reunion with the brothers that tried to kill me."

Freya shrugged. "They know you wanted the baby. They were just trying to protect her. Perfectly understandable given the circumstances."

Finn turned around to face his sister, an angry expression on his face. "Are you defending the actions of our wicked family? Dahlia wants that baby. If she's already on her way then our only hope for survival is to give her what she wants. But I'll be damned if we dare excuse the irrational actions of our siblings. Freya, Elijah burned me-"

"I'm not defending the actions of anyone Finn. But I do think it's time we rethink our strategies. Going up against Elijah nearly got you killed and would of if not for my talisman. Maybe we took the wrong approach."

"What are you saying sister?" Finn asked.

Freya paused, knowing Finn wasn't going to react well to what she was going to say next. "We're not going to get that baby from our brothers with what we have now. We need more power. I know how to vanquish Dahlia. If we have enough power we can fight her, and we can kill her."

Finn sighed, giving his sister a skeptical look. "We need power? Fine. Our father's still in the tomb where I left him. I think it's time that I go back and channel him."

Finn walked towards the door, Freya considering his idea, only to stop him when his hand began to turn the doorknob. "Finn?" Freya asked, her brother turning his head back to look at her. "I need a moment alone with him first," Freya continued. Finn didn't seem to be the least bit on board with this. "It's been a thousand years, he doesn't even know I'm still alive."

Finn turned around completely and shook his head at Freya. "Mother—Esther, told him that you died of the Plague, just like Dahlia told her to. But believe me Freya, that is for the best. Our father is not the man you once knew, he is now but a shadow of his former self. He's a _monster_."


	3. Ain't No City Like New Orleans, Part 2

_Author's Note: The third installment of my story. There is Cami and Josh in this chapter (Hopefully that'll be incentive to read on, since as far as I can tell most people like both characters). Enjoy. Oh and for those of you who like to leave reviews (you're awesome!), feel free to leave suggestions if you have any. *As one reviewer asked, yes Gia will be in this story, I like the character myself but I honestly don't know how most people feel about her. That may influence how much she appears and what role she plays. Currently, I plan for her to have a similar role as to what she does in the tv series.  
_

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

In the upstairs lounge of the Mikaelson Compound, Klaus, Hayley and Jackson sat around, discussing pack matters. "It's time to put our werewolf army to use," Klaus declared. "Finn is the biggest threat to Hope's life right now, and he and the woman who calls herself my sister are still somewhere in this city. The wolves can help us pinpoint their location. Afterwards I will be more than happy to kill them both myself."

Jackson shook his head, refusing to go along with Klaus' plan. "No, we need all hands on deck here with Hope," Jackson stated, watching Klaus' eyes widen in annoyance. "Can't the all powerful Klaus Mikaelson just compel humans to track his enemies?"

Klaus looked at Jackson incredulously, barely containing his hybrid temper. "Do my ears deceive me?" Klaus asked retorically. "Or did you just give _me_ an order? In _my_ own home?

"This ain't about your ego, Klaus! It's about what's best for that little girl."

Klaus suddenly stood up, glaring down at Jackson and Hayley, his nostrils flaring. "How dare you question my intentions for my daughter!"

Hayley hated the idea of playing mediator between the father of her child, and her new husband. "Jack, Klaus is right. Finn's body disappeared from the morgue, which means that he's either powerful enough to heal from that explosion, or Freya's powerful enough to save him. Either way, we're not finding them unless we..." Hayley paused. "Send our best people out there. But the wolves are just to locate Finn. I don't want any causalties Klaus."

Jackson sighed, frustrated that his wife was siding against him. Klaus' attitude changed, from angry to gleeful. "There's no need for wolf blood to be shed. As I said earlier, I can handle the two of them myself," Klaus reiterated to Hayley, then redirecting his attention to Jackson. "I'm sure you and all your merry men will find them _post haste_."

Jackson stood to look Klaus in the eye. "Just to be clear, I'm giving this order because _Hayley_ is asking. Don't think for one second that I take orders from you-"

Klaus interrupted Jackson, refusing to let him finish. "And don't think for one second that I take orders from _you_. Though you may be Hayley's husband you are of no importance to me, and should you be a problem in the future I will have no trouble doing away with you. After all, I am the all powerful Klaus Mikaelson."

 **At Marcel's Loft...**

Marcel poured himself a drink at his bar. Kol, Davina and Rebekah sat on one couch while Josh sat on the other. Marcel glanced at his wristwatch before turning around to join the others, sitting himself down next to Josh on the couch and placed his drink down on the table that stood in between the couches after taking a sip.

"So," Marcel started. "Let me get this straight, you're now in the body of a wanted witch killer because Kol over here wanted to play a little prank."

"I didn't know that Eva Sinclair was a child serial killer when I picked her out as a vessel for Becks," Kol confessed, slightly irritated by Marcel's mere presence. "Getting her back in her original body shouldn't be an issue. Now that I'm not dying and all. Well, not at the moment at least."

"You didn't think to maybe do a little background check first," Josh added.

"Well in all fairness I think it's safe to say us Mikaelsons aren't exactly known for thinking these things through," Kol countered in his defense. "Before this hex took a turn for the worse I had every intention of putting Rebekah back in her body."

"Wait, as long as we're swapping bodies here, any chance I could get in on it? 'Cause I gotta tell you, there's a few guys that I wouldn't mind switching lives with for a day," Josh joked.

"Seems to me that for someone whose hexed you're doing surprisingly well," Marcel argued. "So what's keeping you from doing the body swap spell now and getting your sister out of this mess?"

Before Kol could respond, Rebekah interrupted the two of them, tired of watching the two of them argue. It wasn't like it was anything she hadn't seen before. "The idea to stay in this body was my idea Marcel. There are things I can do as a witch that I couldn't do as a vampire and one of them is help saving my brother from certain death," Rebekah explained, looking over to her brother and giving a half hearted smile, which Kol returned.

"And what with D's magical hex breaking necklace, you don't need to be a witch anymore. Rebekah, if you stay in this body you will continue to be targeted by witches everywhere. You might not be able to reason with them like you did today," Marcel pointed out.

The loft was silent for a few minutes. "The truth is Marcel," Rebekah began. "Being a mortal, living a mortal life, I've wanted it for a long time now. And now, I finally have a shot at it. I know this body belongs to someone else, but that someone else is a monster. I have a chance at a new life, and I want to take it. Plus, if I leave this body now will be unleasing a wicked witch back into New Orleans."

"We can kill her before she has a chance to get away. Rebekah, think about this carefully, you would living your life as someone else. You can't possibly want that."

"That and I think travelling would be problematic what with being in the body of a wanted serial killer and all," Josh added.

"All you have to do is say the word Becks," Kol started. "And I'll put you back in your original body. I hate to agree with Marcel and all, but staying in this body could prove dangerous. If Davina and I weren't there with you today you might have been killed."

"Kol's right," Davina said, siding with her boyfriend. "We just put you back in your own body, have Marcel kill this Eva girl and present her body to the witches, everyone's happy-"

Rebekah was growing increasingly frustrated with everyone around her. "Is no one even listening to me?"

Before anyone could respond, Elijah rushed into the loft, moving faster than the blink of an eye. Elijah turned to Rebekah, a look of concern on his face. "Are you alright?" Elijah asked sincerely.

Rebekah nodded. "I'm fine, Elijah. The witches, the ones who ganged up on me, they knew me Elijah. Not me-me, but-" Rebekah paused, gesturing to her body. "this. Her-"

"Eva Sinclair," Kol interrupted, distracting Elijah. "Word from the fellow witches of New Orleans is that she used to kidnap children of witch families for the sake of channeling them and gaining their power."

"You put our sister in the body of a wanted criminal? Someone people would be looking for, people who would want retribution?! What were you thinking Kol!" Elijah yelled, staring over at Kol, barely resisting the urge to put his hands on him and lift him up to face him. "Your little antics are always jeopardizing the safety of this family."

Kol stood up to face Elijah, wanting to look his older brother in the eye. "I'm sorry okay?! I didn't think much of the person whose body I stuck Rebekah in. Suppose our mother's better than me in that regard," Kol replied bitterly. "I made a mistake. Not like you would know anything about that. The noble Elijah, the one who could do no wrong. You speak of loving your family, _family above all_ , yet you court the mother of your niece, of our niece!"

"I hardly see how that has anything to do with putting our sister's life in danger."

"Fine. I get it. You're angry with me. Nothing new..." Kol stared down at the floor for a second, then looked towards Rebekah, wearing his regret on his face. "I'm out of here," he finished, turning around and walking out of the room, Davina chasing after him.

Elijah and Rebekah let out a sigh while Marcel pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Rebekah if you are to stay in this body for much longer we'll have to spread the message to all covens in New Orleans that Eva Sinclair no longer inhabits this body. Sooner rather than later," Elijah said calmly.

"Then you should pay a visit to Josephine LaRue," Marcel suggested. "She serves as a matriarch to the covens outside the French Quarter. She'll know the names of everyone who wants Rebekah dead."

"How can you be so sure?" Rebekah asked.

"She bankrolls Fauline Cottage," Marcel replied, Elijah looking surprised at the revelation. "She's the woman you want to see. If Eva Sinclair was in the Cottage before you took over her body, she'll know all about her and why she was in there, what enemies she created."

Elijah nodded. "Then I shall go meet with Josephine."

Rebekah got up off the couch to go stand before her older brother. Elijah cupped Rebekah's face with his hand affectionately. "A warning, sister- you are not who you once were. This body is all too vulnerable. You must be careful with it."

Rebekah rolled her eyes in frustration as Elijah dropped his hand and headed towards the door. Rebekah then noticed how anxious Marcel looked.

"Elijah," Marcel called after him. "Josephine is an eccentric old bat with no love for vampires. I don't think your charms will work on her as well as you think."

Elijah smirked in response to Marcel's warning. "My charms are quite adaptable, Marcellus, I may assure you."

 **In Camille's Bedroom...**

" _This is the body. This is the blood. May they cleanse me of sin and preserve my soul in life everlasting,"_ a familiar voice whispered.

Cami slowly opened her eyes, just barely awake. Someone was talking to her. _"Looks like the Devil had a deal for me after all,"_ the voice added. Cami's heart almost stopped. She knew who the voice belonged to. Her uncle Kieran. Her _dead_ uncle Kieran.

Cami sat up in her bed, tossed off her blankets and rubbed her eyes. Her bedroom was filled with fog, she must be dreaming. A figure walked through the fog towards Cami, gradually becoming more and more visible. Suddenly, the fog cleared up, and her uncle Kieran, his lips and chin stained with human blood, was standing before her, wearing a devilish grin on his face. She knew it was her uncle Kieran, just not the Kieran she remembered. She wasn't having a dream, she was having a nightmare.

" _Hello Camille. Did you miss me?"_ Kieran asked in a mocking tone.

Cami shook her head furiously. "You're not here. My uncle's dead."

" _Well undead actually,"_ Kieran corrected. _"You saw to that. When you had your hybrid friend Klaus force feed me his blood, before I went into cardiac arrest. Now I'm a creature of the night, a servant of darkness, friend of the Devil."_

"Klaus staked you!" Cami protested. "You're dead. Now go away!"

Kieran chuckled, startling Cami further. _"Is that any way to talk to your loving uncle? And for the record, yes, Klaus did drive a stake through my heart. 'You deserved better' I believe were the words he used as he did the deed. Hurt quite a bit too. Then my soul did a stint on the Other Side for a few days. And when the whole place started to collapse, the witch ancestors of New Orleans restored me, so I could suffer for eternity instead of being granted eternal peace."_

"You're dead, you're dead, my uncle's dead," Cami said to herself, trying to close her eyes so she no longer had to endure the sight of the demonic Kieran. But for some reason, as hard as she tried, she couldn't shut her eyelids.

Kieran sighed. _"Cami, Cami, Cami. You know, how is Klaus by the way? Have you told him about your feelings for him yet? I had such high hopes for you Cami. Now look at you, you're a barmaid who slept with one vampire and is half in love with another."_

"Shut up," Cami muttered, the colour rising in her cheeks.

" _You know I did come here to turn you Camille, but instead, I think I'm going to turn you into a meal,"_ Kieran taunted, lunging towards Cami, opening his mouth and bearing his fangs in the process, his eyes darkening.

Cami screamed at the top of her lungs, only for her eyes to suddenly close. She blinked, and found herself back with her head on her pillow, her body covered up with the blanket she'd thrown off. She was awake, sweating, her heart pounding against her chest. Cami sat up in her bed and took a minute to catch her breathe. She then scanned her entire bedroom with her eyes, looking for some trace of her uncle Kieran. But there was no one. She was safe, for now at least.


	4. Ain't No City Like New Orleans, Part 3

_Author's Note: So this chapter has a Kol/Davina and Klaus/Cami moment. It's probably the chapter I enjoyed writing the most thus far. As always, I appreciate those of you who have kept reading, otherwise I might have lost the motivation to keep writing this story. And reviews are also always welcome, be they positive or negative._

 **Outside of Marcel's Loft...**

Kol ran his fingers, clearly agitated. It wasn't like he expected anything to ever change when it came to his siblings, especially where his older brother Elijah was concerned. Kol always felt that Elijah judged him, saw him as the most monstrous of their family. _Is there no end to your vile imagination brother?_ The question Elijah asked when Kol compelled a Shakespearean play for Marcel when he was just a boy, complete with real deaths and everything. Elijah thought he was a depraved beast, a troublemaker that was never going to change. It was both frustrating and discouraging.

It wasn't like Elijah had never wronged him either. Elijah assisted Klaus in daggering him on more than a couple of occasions, which in Kol's eyes made him just as culpable. A part of him still wanted to dagger both of them to get even, have someone that they knew personally hold them down too. But he knew he wasn't going to do that. Klaus had a daughter now, which changed everything. As much as Kol still carried some resentment towards him, he didn't want to deprive his niece of her father, even if he hadn't met said niece yet. And as for Elijah, there were more important things to worry about than daggering his sibling right now. Like breaking a hex on the body he was currently trapped in.

Kol felt a small, delicate hand touch his back. A warm smile suddenly appeared on his face, knowing who the hand belonged to. "Everything okay love?" Kol asked without even turning to check that it was Davina.

"I was going to ask you the same question. Family drama much?"

"It was just a bit of a spat is all. Things have been tense on and off between Elijah and me since, well ever since we turned a thousand years ago. Bit of a long story really, no need to bore you with the details," Kol replied nonchalantly.

Davina reached for Kol's hand, and Kol finally turned around to face her. "You don't bore me Kol."

Kol decided to hold Davina's hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "I appreciate, that you care for me Davina Claire."

"I do."

Kol looked at Davina for a moment, searching every inch of her eyes with his, knowing what she said was true. "Okay. Let's not worry about my family today alright? If Rebekah wants me, she knows how to reach me. Today, let's worry about breaking this hex. So if something happens to me while I'm in this body, I don't get whisked off to never ever land."

Davina giggled as Kol leaned in to kiss her. He was always more at peace with himself whenever he was around her, as confusing as it was. Never in a thousand years didn't he think he would find himself coming to care for a seventeen year old girl.

 **Lafayette Cemetery, the Lyonne Tomb...**

Finn and Freya were now inside the Lyonne Tomb, which was relatively small on the inside, barely lit, and smelled something awful. Finn was carrying a clean white sheet in his arms, which he was gripping tightly. On the floor of the tomb was a white circle that looked as though it was drawn with chalk. Inside the circle were two bodies, laying side by side, each with a special marking on their forehead. One was their father Mikael, the other their mother, Esther. Or at least, the body their mother was in currently, the body of a witch turned vampire, Lenore Shaw, whom Esther was possessing.

Finn stepped inside the circle and approached his mother's body, which now looked dessicated, her veins pressed up against her skin, her eyes closed. Carefully, Finn covered his mother's body with the white sheet. He turned back to look at his sister Freya, a look of deep concern on his face.

"Our brothers probably have spies all over the place looking for us-"

Freya interrupted Finn before he could finish. "I won't be long, Finn. I promise."

"Freya... are you sure you want to do this?" Finn asked anxiously. Freya rolled her eyes at him. "This is _not_ the man you remember," Finn finished, gesturing towards Mikael's perfectly still body.

Freya smiled weakly at her brother in response. "He is _still_ my father. _Our_ father. I might not be able to appeal to whatever humanity he has left. But I can try."

Finn nodded, understanding where his sister was coming from. Finn continued wrapping up his mother's body, scooping it up in his arms and leaving the tomb to give Freya a moment alone with their father.

Freya waited a minute before kneeling down next to her father's body, tenderly touching his face with her hand. He wasn't going to wake up without any magical interference first. Freya then traced the marking that Finn made on his forehead that allowed him to use Mikael as a battery of sorts. She hated seeing him like this. She didn't care if her father had become a monster during the thousand years they spent apart. She just wanted to speak with him again. She wanted so desperately to hear his voice, to feel his arms wrapped around her as he hugged her like he use to before Dahlia took her away. Freya let out a sigh, holding back tears in her eyes as she drew her hand away from her father, taking out a ceremonial knife from her coat pocket. "You won't be sleeping for much longer father," Freya said softly.

 **Inside Elijah's Loft...**

Inside Elijah's new apartment, Gia sat on the couch, putting her violin back in its case while Elijah paced around in front of the couch, looking through a file full of papers. "Can't we just bring wine?" Gia complained. "Or coffeecake? Bundt cake? Any kind of cake?"

Elijah gave a small smile at Gia's remark, clearly finding it amusing. "From what I gather, Ms. LaRue was something of a musical prodigy in her youth. However, in her heart, is the music she loves the most-" Elijah paused, handing Gia several pieces of sheet music. "Beethoven's Sontata No. 9, Opus 47."

Gia glanced down at the sheets of music in her hands then looked back up at Elijah, unimpressed. "How about I bring my laptop, speakers, and a drumbeat?"

"I promise, your preformance is what will open the door for us. Understand, if this fails, the life of someone I care for deeply will be in jeopardy, and that will displease me immensely," Elijah turned towards the door and snapped his fingers. "Shall we move, please?"

Gia shook her head, confused. "No. We are very much not on the same page. Look, why don't you just make both our lives easier and just compel someone from the symphony?"

Elijah sighed. "My darling Gia, you are an artist far more gifted than anyone from any local symphony," he stated as though it were a fact.

Gia's mood lightened. She was genuinely touched by Elijah's compliment. "Unfortunately Ms. LaRue _despises_ vampires, granted with good reason, but we need to show her that our community is comprised of a _different_ breed," Elijah added, looking Gia over and giving her a wink. "With a new sophistication."

Gia smiled sarcastically. "Sophisticated, huh? I suppose you want me in a dress?"

Elijah smirked. "We should adapt to our audience, yes."

Gia rolled her eyes. "And you? Dark suit on the left side of your closet? Or-" Gia gasped in a mocking fashion. "Identical dark suit on the right?"

Grinning, Elijah replied, "I prefer the one in the middle, thank you so much."

Gia stood up off the couch and walked toward Elijah with a flirtatious smile on her face. "Man, if anyone ever needed a woman to mess his life up a bit.." Gia stopped, catching a slight frown on Elijah's face, realizing what she had just said. She scratched her head awkwardly. "Right. Uh, your girl actually went and-"

"She was never my girl," Elijah corrected in a polite tone. "Not really."

Gia nodded awkwardly. "Um, for what it's worth, I thought Marcel and I had a thing," she said, Elijah looking surprised by her admission. "But that didn't work out obviously," she continued, taking a deep breath, and then shrugging. "We might not be in the same boat, but it's the same ocean."

Gia got up to leave, and Elijah found himself watching as she left. She was beautiful, he could see that. And she wasn't married to some other guy, or the mother of his niece, unlike Hayley, who was both. And she was attracted to him, that much he could tell. There was nothing to stop him from pursuing her instead. Why didn't he? He now found himself asking that very question.

 **In the Mikaelson Compound...**

Jackson and Aiden walked through the halls of the compound together, discussing Klaus and Hayley's assignment. "So, what are we now? Errand boys?" Aiden asked bitterly.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I told you- Finn Mikaelson is powerful, not to mention smart. If we're going to find him we need numbers, strength and speed."

"Wait, Jackson. These new abilities of ours- people are already talking about what they can do _individually_. And they need to feel respected, not like cannon fodder! We're gonna lose good men and you know that!"

Jackson suddenly stopped walking, and so did Aiden. Jackson turned around to face Aiden, clearly annoyed. "We're not going to lose anybody if we stay alert! Hunt Finn down as a _pack_. Catch him off-guard. The sooner we find this _freak_ , the sooner we can all relax," Jackson instructed, raising his voice. Aiden was conflicted, but nodded in agreement. "And Aiden? I appreciate your concern. But you're not the leader of the Crescents, I am. So why don't you let _me_ worry about the pack?

Jackson then walked away, leaving Aiden alone in the hallway. As close as he was with Jackson, he couldn't help but feel that Jackson always looked down on him. In the way that Jackson looked down on everybody, as if he always felt entitled to be Alpha. Aiden knew he cared more about the wolves individually than what Jackson did. What he wanted them to do would involve many of their people dying, or at least getting injured, and for what? Jackson's plan would only end in making the wolves bitter and turning on their leader.

"Surprising how little he values your input," a voice from behind Aiden spoke. Aiden immediately recognized the voice as Klaus'. "Especially since it was you who led the wolves during his self imposed exile."

Klaus was now standing beside Aiden. Reluctantly, Aiden turned to face him. "What do you want, Klaus?"

Klaus flashed Aiden a wicked grin. "Merely to offer advice that may save the lives of good men. While my older brother Finn may not be entirely sane, he is quite clever. If you approach him _en masse_ , he will see you coming, and he will destroy you _en masse_. Instead, be strategic," Klaus suggested. "Move quietly. I'll handle the rest."

Aiden gave Klaus a confused look. "What do you get out of this?"

"Can't I show a bit of kindness every now and then?" Klaus responded, only for Aiden to remain skeptical. "With me and Finn, it's personal. He came after my family, _my daughter_ , and if anyone's going to end his wretched existence, it _will_ be me."

 **Elsewhere in the Mikaelson Compound...**

After leaving his conversation with Aiden, Klaus found himself returning to the balcony of the compound that oversaw the courtyard, waiting for someone to return with news of where Finn was, so he could finally do away with him. He contemplated several different ways of ending his brother's life, from ripping his throat out and turning him into a bloodless husk, to just simply tearing his still beating heart out of his chest. A part of him wanted to make Finn's death take as long as possible to prolong his suffering, it was only fair, god knows what he would have done if he got his hands on Hope.

"Hey," Cami said, interrupting Klaus' train of thought. He could tell her voice was coming from behind him. He turned around to face her, regarding her presence as a welcome distraction in times like this. "How goes it?"

"Well I have my best men on the job searching the city for my murderous brother Finn. You haven't seen him have you?" Klaus replied with a smirk on his face.

"I try and steer clear from the guy who, you know, spent months posing as my advisor, then threatened to kill me. Can't say I'll be sorry to see him put down. So, is Kol still-"

"My brother's fine, for now, thank you for asking," Klaus interrupted. "Davina helped, she made some sort of necklace to save his life. Perhaps the little witch isn't good for nothing after all."

"That's good," Cami said with a forced smile on her face. Klaus saw through it, then quickly studied her physical appearance; her hair was a little messy and her eyes told him she hadn't slept well lately.

"Are you okay, Camille?"

"Me? I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Klaus shrugged. "Well if you don't mind me saying you don't look like someone who's fine."

Cami sighed, her fake smile breaking. "Just, hard time sleeping lately. Nothing to worry about."

"But I do, worry about you. And as you know I don't worry about a lot of people. I have a very small group of people I care about. That and you helped look after my daughter for a few days, you seemed to have helped Elijah, so I think it's fair to say I owe you one," Klaus flashed Cami a genuine smile as he spoke. "Is there anything I can do to help? When I have time of course, who knows how long it'll take to do away with Finn."

"I had a dream, or more like a nightmare, this morning, about my uncle. It seemed so real. He came to me in my bedroom, he was a vampire, he had blood all over his face, and he said, he said the Ancestors brought him back to life. And then he attacked me, he was going to kill me."

"It was only a dream," Klaus assured her. "If there is such a thing as finding peace in death..." he paused. "I'm sure Kieran of all people found it."

"Your mother resurrected Finn and Kol-"

"And my father," Klaus added, cutting Cami off. "If Kieran had been brought back too, we would have seen some trace of him by now in the French Quarter. He's moved on."

Cami seemed to find some comfort in Klaus' words, even if she had doubts in the back of her mind. "Thank you Klaus."

"You're welcome."


	5. Ain't No City Like New Orleans, Part 4

Author's Note: _So this the fourth part of_ _ **Episode 15 – Ain't No City Like New Orleans**_ _,_ __ _only one more part to go before I can go into Alternate Episode 16. Hopefully everybody's still enjoying the story. The Elijah/Gia/Josephine scenes in this chapter are very similar to that of the series, but there is a twist at the end that was not in the series._

 **The Lyonne Tomb, Lafayette Cemetery...**

Mikael opened his eyes, slowly regaining his strength after a long slumber. He no longer felt his energy being drained into another source; Finn was no longer channeling him. Mikael struggled as he got to his feet, his veins aching, telling him he needed blood to drink. He scanned the tomb with his eyes, then stopped when he spotted a blonde witch, who was standing a few feet away from him, looking overwhelmed. This witch, was Freya.

"Who... are you?" Mikael asked, clearly disoriented.

Freya tried to smile, fighting back tears in her eyes as she looked at her father. "Someone you once loved deeply, my father," Freya replied softly.

Now Mikael was looking agitated. "Who. Are. You?" he asked once more, this time with authority.

"Do you not recognize me?" Freya responded, tears now streaming freely from her eyes and down her cheeks. "Can you not see the daughter you thought died so long ago?"

Mikael's eyes widened for a moment. Within the blink of an eye, Mikael was now standing right in front of Freya, using his enhanced vampire speed. He desperately studied her face, hoping there would be some indication of whether it was truly her or not. "No, no, IT CAN'T BE! My daughter, my Freya, died, one thousand years ago from the plague," Mikael protested, his voice breaking.

Freya shook her head weakly, not even attempting to brush away her tears. "You named your sword Rathul, after the early morning sun," Freya said, Mikael slowly backing away from her, stunned and overwhelmed. He knew that the woman in the tomb with him was his daughter, or at least, he wanted it to be. "Its hilt was golden, like the color of my hair. You said it would remind you of me while you were in battle. That I'd be by your side no matter how far afield you traveled."

Mikael looked down at the ground, still reeling from Freya's story. "It can't be.." Mikael said quietly.

"The night, before you went for war," Freya paused, struggling to speak through her tears. "You christened that sword with goat's blood. And when I awoke.. you were gone. I never saw you again."

Mikael was nearly in tears as well as he listened to Freya's confession. "No. It's not possible," Mikael lifted his head, looking into Freya's eyes. "It's been _a thousand years._ "

Freya swallowed. "I was _taken_. By Dahlia, Esther lied to you. I'll explain everything," she assured him, walking over to him, taking his hands and kneeling before him. "Just say you believe me. Please."

Mikael slowly knelt down and took Freya's face in his hands, allowing himself to cry, completely overcome with emotion. "My beautiful Freya," Mikael said through his tears, a smile on his face in spite of everything. "My daughter."

Mikael and Freya hugged each other tightly as they both sobbed uncontrollably.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami walked into Hayley's bedroom in the compound, watching as Hayley gently placed a sleeping Hope inside her crib. Hayley then turned around to face Cami, both of them looking tired but for different reasons. "Hey," Hayley said quietly with a half smile on her face, trying to seem friendly. She slowly walked over to Cami and the two stepped just outside of the bedroom.

"I just came to see Klaus and I thought I'd check up on Hope. How's the little girl doing?" Cami asked.

"Good, good. I just wish she would sleep a little more," she joked.

"I can do a little more babysitting," Cami added. "Not that you need it, but if you ever want to take a break sometime, I'm good with her. She's pretty easy going, considering her environment."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. But I did miss the first six months of her life. I can't let myself off the hook that easily," she replied while maintaining a smile.

"That must've been hard, being separated from your daughter for that long."

"It was. I can't tell you how much I just wanted to hold her in my arms, let her know that everything was going to be okay," Hayley's smile faded. "That she was surrounded by people who love her. That we're not going to let anyone hurt her," she paused. "But it's like Klaus said, we're going to overcome all of our problems, all of our enemies as a family."

The two girls were silent for a minute before Hayley opened her mouth again. "Cami, can I tell you something?"

Cami nodded. "Of course."

"As much as I love my little girl, and as much as I know Klaus, and Elijah, and Rebekah love her... There are times, when I think she would be better off without us. That maybe we should compel her a nice, normal human family who could give her the life she deserves. A life that doesn't involve having to spend six months away from your parents because they're cleaning up a mess. And I feel horrible for thinking that. I know I'm not the best parent out there and I'm never going to be."

"You don't have to be the best Hayley. You just have to try, be there for her when she needs you."

Hayley nodded, trying to stay calm in front of someone she hardly knew. She honestly didn't know why she just told Cami that. "Have you ever wanted kids Cami?"

"I-I don't know. I change my mind a lot when it comes to the topic of having children of my own. I thought I did one day up until my brother descended into insanity and killed himself, he was hexed of course, but I didn't know that at first. And I didn't think it would be the best idea to have kids after that for some reason. And then I found out that he was hexed, and now, I don't-"

Their conversation was cut short by Hope, who began to cry loudly, clearly awake now. "And I should probably go feed the baby."

 **In the LaRue Mansion...**

Elijah and Gia arrived at the home of Josephine LaRue. While Elijah was in his usual dark suit, Gia was wearing a formal purple dress and carrying her violin, looking clearly uncomfortable. The two were let in by a butler, who led them inside and guided them to Josephine's living room. Josephine herself was seated on a comfy looking chair. Elijah placed himself on the couch catiously, the couch and the chair divided by a coffee table. Gia took a deep breathe and opened her violin case, taking her violin out and beginning to play Beethoven's Sonata No.9 while Elijah and Josephine sat and listened.

Once Gia was finished playing, she put down her violin and began to eye Josephine nervously, waiting for her to comment on her preformance. Instead, Josephine turned to Elijah. "You are as calculating as I've heard Elijah Mikaelson. Having your companion play the piece I once preformed to great acclaim."

Gia looked over to Elijah, waiting for him to respond. "Is it not also a piece you enjoy?" he asked in a confused tone.

Josephine swallowed. "It's not wise to insult those who are more powerful than you, which is the only reason I allowed you into my home. Now, if you will excuse me, I have many things to do."

Elijah smiled. "My goodness, I had expected a more cordial welcome."

"And why would I be cordial to you?" Josephine asked rhetorically. Elijah looked as though he wanted to say something back but he remained silent. "Since your wicked family has returned to this city, our Elders have been murdered. Promising young witches have been inhabited against their will. Kaleb Westphall, Cassie-"

"I can put an end to all of it," Elijah interrupted.

Josephine gave Elijah a skeptical look. "With all due respect, I can believe that... as much as I believe I will play my violin again someday," she replied, looking down at her hands, which were shaking and extremely swollen. The skin on her fingers looked rough and cracked. Elijah responded with a look of guilt, seeming discouraged and defeated, while Gia looked stunned.

"Because, Elijah Mikaelson, beneath your formal attire, and behind the lovely bethoven," she paused, nodding her head at Gia. "You are all the same. Liars. Monsters wearing the skins of humans. Good day, to you both."

Gia turned from looking shocked to offended. "Ms LaRue, we needn't be unpleasant with one another," Elijah protested.

"I hold no animosity, nor do I want to do you any favors. I simply want you to leave my home."

Gia sighed in frustration. "Screw her Elijah. I don't see a friggin' crown on her head."

"I beg your pardon?" Josephine asked calmly.

"You're not t _[Elijah flips through the file he was given, which contains psychiatric evaluations of Eva Sinclair, along with a photograph of her. The evaluation details her violent tendencies, criminal and antisocial behavior, numerous arrests_

he Queen of the Witches. You don't speak for all of them," Gia replied with another sigh. "You know I can't believe I dressed up and learned how to play Beethoven, _for this_. I _hate_ Beethoven."

Josephine responded to Gia with a look of utter amusement. "Then what do you like, young lady, if not Beethoven?"

Gia cleared her throat, leaned over and picked up her violin. She began to play a more upbeat piece than what she preformed earlier, actually enjoying herself this time as she showed off her talent. Elijah smiled widely as he watched Gia played while Josephine seemed mildly surprised. When Gia was finished, she put down her violin and looked at Josephine expectantly.

"Eddie South," Josephine noted with a grin on her face. "That makes you a true jazz girl!"

"You know Eddie South?" Gia asked incredulously.

"One time, I nearly eloped with a jazz musician," Josephine's smile faded, frowning at the memory. "My mother, learned of my plans..." she continued, now staring down at her swollen hands. "Let's just say she wasn't entirely pleased. Your candor is quite refreshing. I find most vampires are more—calculating," she broke, looking over to Elijah. "No offense."

Elijah laughed. "None taken! I too, admire her candor."

"He has great taste," Gia said with a smirk. Josephine laughed at Gia's joke but as she laughed Gia's facial expressions became more serious. "Elijah Mikaelson is a man you can trust... And I say that as someone who doesn't trust easily," she looked back at Elijah, who gave her an understanding look. "Or, at all, really."

"I suppose I should just hear you out, Mr. Mikaelson."

 **In Lafayette Cemetery...**

Aiden was currently searching the Lyonne Tomb for Finn, carrying out his assignment from Jackson while two other small groups of werewolves searched the other various tombs in the cemetery for him. Aiden suddenly froze as he heard a loud squelching noise coming from behind him, followed by an equally loud groan of a man in pain. After a moment, Mikael appeared from around the corner, a sadistic grin on his face, blood running down from his lips and on to his chin. He had what appeared to be a human heart clutched in his right hand. "I much prefer vampire blood, the blood is so much—sweeter, more rich, but after so long a slumber... one needn't be so picky," Mikael paused, watching as Aiden stared in horror at the heart Mikael held in his hand.

"Oh! I believe this belongs to one of your mangy spies," Mikael taunted, tossing the heart in Aiden's direction.

The heart landed near Aiden's feet. Aiden wanted to run, hide and vomit. One of his pack mates was dead, because used as cannon fodder in a battle that wasn't even theirs to fight. Nevertheless, Aiden managed to swallow his fear of the vampire in the tomb with him. "Klaus is gonna _kill_ you."

Mikael laughed dramatically for emphasize. "Is. That. So?"

Mikael growled and prepared to lunge at Aiden, only for Freya to come out from behind him, the sound of her voice distracting him. "Leave him Father. Bloodshed is merely a distraction. We have more important matters to attend to," Freya said calmly, hoping she could stop her father from taking another innocent life.

Aiden was ready for Mikael to attack him regardless. While Mikael didn't seem thrilled at his daughter's order, he reluctantly stopped in his tracks, walking away from Aiden and leaving the tomb with Freya.

 **The LaRue Mansion...**

Josephine's butler handed Elijah a stack of files, which he took and began to skim almost immediately. Gia was now sitting on the couch next to him, the three of them now in a better mood than when they began.

"Thank you," Elijah began, the gratitude clear in his voice. "One of the witches that escaped the Fauline Cottage – Eva Sinclair – is of particular importance to my family. My request, is that you tell your people to leave her to me."

Josephine shook her head adamantly. "You have no idea how dangerous these witches can be Elijah. Eva in particular."

Elijah smiled politely. "I like to think we've dealt with worse. She will cause you no further trouble, I can assure you that. When my sister decides to leave her body, we will end her life before Ms. Sinclair has time to resurface."

Elijah flipped through the file that Josephine's butler gave him, finding psychiatric evaluations of Eva Sinclair, along with a photo of her. The evaluation described Eva's violent tendencies, her numerous arrests and criminal past, and detailed a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

"Do understand, Eva Sinclair is unlike any witch you've encountered before. She is powerful and sadistic, not someone to be taken lightly. Why anyone would choose her as a vessel remains a mystery to me. The only way I would release someone like that into your custody – the witches would need something large in exchange," Josephine stated firmly, Elijah looking at her expectantly. "The Treme Coven wants Vincent Griffith returned... I'm also asking that you return Kaleb Westphall to the witches of New Orleans. How you expel your brothers Finn and Kol from their bodies is your concern. Only upon their safe return will I agree to your terms."

Elijah was stunned by the mention of both Kaleb and Kol. "You're asking for two witches, for the price of one."

"I wasn't aware you were terribly close with either brother. Regardless, those are my terms. I am not without empathy Elijah, but your brothers had a chance at life, and they lost it. Now they are stealing the life of others to continue living in a world that they should no longer be residing in," Josephine replied.

"I can return Mr. Griffith. What importance is young Kaleb Westphall to you?"

"While Kaleb did not belong to any of the nine covens, he is still a witch, which makes him important. Do you understand Mr. Mikaelson?"


	6. Ain't No City Like New Orleans, Part 5

_Author's Note: The concluding chapter of **Episode 15 - Ain't No City Like New Orleans**. The next chapter will be the start of **Episode 16 - Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On**. _

**Lafayette Cemetery...**

Klaus arrived in the cemetery, which had become dark and foggy as the day has gone by. Bracing himself, he walked through aisles of tombstones, waiting for Finn to appear, when his cellphone began to vibrate in his pocket, distracting him. Sighing, Klaus pulled out his phone and checked to see who it was. It was Elijah. Rolling his eyes, Klaus pocketed his phone, ignoring his brother's call.

"FINN!" Klaus shouted angrily. He continued to walk through the cemetery in search of him. "I know you're here! The wolves tell me you've been quite active, robbing graves and violating the dead! Sounds like you," Klaus said, turning around to see if he could spot Finn lurking around the corner. "Why don't you just come out and finish this?"

"Hello, Niklaus."

Klaus quickly recognized the voice as Finn, turning around once more and finally spotting him. Klaus began to walk towards him as Finn did the same. "Such a _pedestrian_ greeting brother. How unfortunate those are to be your last words," Klaus threatened.

"Your hubris _truly_ knows no bounds! You attack a witch in the very place the Ancestors call home!" Finn replied mockingly, waving his finger at Klaus and clicking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Klaus smirked. "You're a fool if you think the Ancestors give a damn about you."

Finn shook his head. "They may not care for _me_ , but they _hate_ you!"

Finn held up one hand and recited a chant. Before Klaus could lunge at him, he found himself surrounded by a tall ring of fire that seemed to come out of nowhere, trapping him. "YOU THINK THIS WILL HOLD ME?!" Klaus bellowed.

Finn continued chanting while Klaus bit the bullet, walking through the ring of fire. The flames were just as hot as one would imagine, engulfing him. Klaus shrugged off the heat, even as the flames singed his clothes, his skin feeling like it was about to crack and peel off his body. The flames vanished, leaving nothing but smoke behind. Klaus, now face to face with his brother, looked Finn in the eye, who looked back at him, his chanting ceasing. "Was that the best you could do, Finn?"

Finn chuckled in response. "Believe it or not Niklaus, I have another trick up my sleeve."

Suddenly, twin trails of blood began to ran down from Klaus' nose. He cringed in pain, as he felt as though every cell inside his head was exploding simultaneously. Finn smiled in satisfaction as he saw his brother nearly double over. Despite his pain, Klaus reached out with his right arm and grabbed Finn tightly by the neck, choking him. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that," Klaus said, his nose still leaking blood.

Finn struggled for air as Klaus' grip got tighter and tighter. Unexpectedly, Klaus' grip on Finn's neck lessened dramatically as the pain inside his head intensified.

Finn put his index and middle fingers together on his left hand and, using his vessel's power of telekinesis, knocked Klaus off his feet and on to the ground. Klaus was now on his back, groaning in pain, his lips and facial hair soaked with his own blood. Finn then stepped forward and placed a foot on Klaus' chest, applying pressure and pinning him in place. "Finished so soon, my indestructible brother? Our Father was right about you! You're nothing but a _pathetic_ disappointment!" Finn taunted his little brother.

"Mikael... is not... my _father_!" Klaus spat. Klaus sighs, his body beginning to heal itself from whatever mystical damage Finn had done to him. He felt the pressure on his head fading, and blood ceasing to flow from his nose. "You dared to judge your brothers and sister... For being vampires. Yet when our brother Kol was mortal... you cursed him to die."

Finn seemed slightly bothered by the reminder of what he'd done to Kol. Klaus was distracting him. Klaus grabbed Finn by the foot he had on his chest, and with one swift motion, forced Finn's foot off of him, using his vampire speed and getting to his feet within the blink of an eye, taking Finn by surprise. "But, you didn't stop there, did you?" Klaus asked, punching Finn in the jaw, knocking him back a few steps. "No, there's an encore—you sought the death of an _innocent child_."

Finn put his hand to his jaw just before Klaus gave him a shove, forcing his older brother to fall backwards against a tombstone. Finn groaned in pain.

" _My_ child."

With that, Klaus knelt down in front of Finn, and drew a dagger out from his coat pocket – a white oak dagger. Klaus allowed Finn to get a good look at the weapon, pleased by the look of terror forming in his brother's eyes. "What's the matter Finn? You look concerned. Now this, dagger, might very well be the same dagger that was stuck in your heart for a good nine centuries. I'm not entirely certain about that, but I thought it only fitting that one of these daggers should be your end," Klaus paused. "For what you would have done to Hope, I'm going to enjoy making you suffer."

Klaus swiftly stabbed Finn in the abdomen with the dagger. Finn let out a gasp and blood begin to pour out from the wound almost immediately, staining his shirt red. Klaus gleefully pushed the dagger in further. "Do say hello to your tawdry lady friend for me, will you? Now what was her name again... ah yes, Sage. The only woman that could ever love your vile self."

Finn couldn't even respond to Klaus' taunt, too busy gasping for air and holding on to dear life. Klaus was now suffocating Finn so much he could barely even moan from the pain.

Klaus was about to twist the dagger when a voice called out to him. "Niklaus, don't!" Elijah shouted from behind. Within the blink of an eye, Elijah was kneeling down next to Klaus and the wounded Finn. Klaus, with a sigh, pulled the dagger out of Finn's abdomen.

"You didn't answer my call," Elijah said, sounding out of breathe.

"Well, I was a little busy," Klaus replied nonchalantly, the dagger, the blade of which was now covered in Finn's blood, still gripped tightly in his right hand. He attempted to re-insert the dagger in Finn when Elijah grabbed him by the wrist at the last second, stopping him.

"I need Vincent Griffith alive," Elijah pleaded, glancing over at Finn, who was still weakly lying against the tomb stone, now clutching his stab wound, trying to hold in the blood. "We need his safe return to secure an alliance with the witch elder Josephine LaRue."

Klaus, an incredulous look on his face, dropped the dagger to the ground and got to his feet. Elijah did the same so they could both look the other in the eye. "The witches wanted that body Niklaus," Elijah reiterated.

"And what else do they want? A parade? Free broomsticks for all?" Klaus asked angrily.

"This alliance could be greatly beneficial to us all-"

"Finn. Must. Die. Currying some witch's favour does not concern me!" Klaus interrupted.

Freya then appeared a few feet behind the bickering Klaus and Elijah, a pleasant smile on her face. "It should," she stated, Klaus and Elijah turning around to face her. "Witches allies can prove valuable."

Klaus and Elijah both gave her a look of confusion, seeming to realize who she was the moment they laid eyes on her. She walked past them and over to where Finn was lying. She knelt before him and glanced down at the fresh stab wound with a look of concern on her face. "Freya. Freya. Help me," Finn pleaded desperately.

"Don't worry Finn. I won't let them hurt you," Freya replied, using her fingers to lift the blue pendant on her talisman toward him as she started to cast a spell. As she chanted, her pendant began to glow brightly.

Finn screamed in agony as his wound suddenly closed and healed itself, every cell in Finn's vessel completely repaired. Once the spell was done, Finn looked up at Freya nervously. "Thank you."

Freya nodded. Klaus looked at her in confusion and curiosity as she held out two fingers and made a sweeping motion over Finn's face. "Sleep."

As Freya finished saying the word sleep, Finn's eyes closed. Klaus and Elijah gaped at her in shock. "What the _hell_ did you do to him?" Klaus asked.

"He's only unconscious, and he will awake by my command and my command alone. Which gives us some uninterrupted time to talk. I'm here to make you both an offer."

"You must be Freya," Elijah stated with confidence.

"I am."

"What could you possibly offer us besides lies and fairytales?" Klaus asked mockingly.

"Whatever you think of me, brother, know this- when I speak to you, it _is_ the truth. If you have any doubts, remember that it was I who rescued Rebekah from the Fauline Cottage."

Klaus gawked at her. "And was it not you who told Finn where to find my daughter? Who led her to the cabin in which Elijah and her hid?!"

"I didn't wish your child any harm-"

"You really except us to believe that?!" Klaus interrupted.

Freya cleared her throat. "Finn, is the one you should be angry with. Finn is the one who wanted to hurt the baby, but understand, he was acting out of fear-"

"There is no excusing the actions of a monster!"

"Perhaps not. But whether you like it or not, we _all_ must work together and put aside our differences for the time being, if we are expected to survive. If I've woken from my slumber, Dahlia has as well. Once she's sensed your child's magic, she _will_ come for her. And she has the power to kill anyone who stands in her way... but if we ally ourselves with one another, if we stand united as a family, we can kill her first. Then you may worry about Finn another day."

"You expect me to trust you?" Klaus asked, continuing to attack Freya. "You expect me to trust Finn? The man who hexed Kol to die, who came after my _child_?! And isn't it all just a tad too convenient that you show up in the nick of time to help us kill the woman with whom you've spent a thousand years!"

Freya was slowly getting frustrated. "Finn is not a complete monster, he can be reasoned with. And you have no idea what it took to escape Dahlia, or what I lost in trying... Her punishment _will_ be profound. I'm not asking you to trust Finn, I'm asking you to work alongside him for a common goal."

"Do you know how to stop Dahlia?" Elijah asked in a calm tone.

"I do. Given the proper materials. I've sent Father to procure them."

Klaus was now fuming, nostrils flaring. "You put my child's life, in the hands of _Mikael_?!"

Klaus leaned over, picked up the bloody white oak dagger, and began to angrily storm off, only stopping in his tracks when Elijah called after him. "Niklaus. This woman has inside knowledge of the threat we now face and is willing to share."

Klaus didn't respond to Elijah, and instead, kept walking away, towards the exit of the cemetery. Elijah let out a sigh, not wanting to argue with Klaus further. He was now alone in the cemetery with Freya and an unconscious Finn, whose soul was still residing in the body he needed returned.

"I didn't know that Finn had hexed Kol either. But I might be able to fix that, if you'll let me. Kol is a part of this family and I don't intend to let any of you die," Freya stated.

"Unfortunately, my long lost sister, due to a necessary alliance I made, I'm going to need Finn to leave the body his spirit is currently inhabiting," Elijah replied.

Freya didn't seemed at all phased by this revelation. "I heard. But the body Finn possesses, is a powerful body. Finn can be our ally. Just give me time to reason with him. There is no chance Vincent Griffith would ally himself with us, not after Finn took his body for nine months."

 **In Marcel's Loft...**

Rebekah was sitting on a couch in Marcel's loft, reading the files that Elijah had given her regarding Eva Sinclair. Marcel sat down next to her, handing her a glass of bourbon as she placed the files down on a table nearby.

Rebekah let out a sigh before taking a sip of her drink. "Well, looks like the woman whose body I stole was a paranoid schizophrenic – amongst other things. The witches were right. It was all in there, every horrible thing she ever did."

Marcel shrugged in response. "Well, thinking back to what you said earlier, I think it's good you took over her body. Anyone who does this kinda thing to kids has it coming. And now you get a shot at being mortal again without taking over the life of an innocent person."

"Well this is an interesting change of tone. You seemed quite eager for me to return to my original body earlier, Marcel Gerard," Rebekah pointed out.

"Look, I'm just worried about the target that's been painted on that body," Marcel replied, gesturing to Rebekah. "Eva made a lot of enemies. But if Elijah somehow made Josephine his ally, maybe we don't have to worry about it. Rebekah, I just want you to be happy."

Rebekah gave Marcel a half hearted smile. "I think if that were true, you would have came with me, when I left New Orleans."

"It wouldn't have worked out between us. Besides, from what I hear life your time away from the Big Easy wasn't that bad. Got to spend time with your niece."

"I did," Rebekah replied.

"And now you're mortal again, free to lead the life you always wanted to live. Or you have the choice of going back to being a vampire. Seems like you got everything you could've ever wanted."

Rebekah didn't say anything, instead taking another drink of her bourbon, emptying the glass.

 **In the Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus, having returned to the compound, was now inside the nursery, smiling as he doted on Hope. Hope was still awake in her crib, but wasn't crying; only looking up at her father with love in her eyes.

The father-daughter moment was interrupted by Hayley, who came into the nursery only wearing a dark blue bathrobe, joining them. She looked down at Hope with Klaus, smiling just like he was. "It took _forever_ for her to stop crying," Hayley whispered, Klaus letting out a small laugh in response.

Hayley then gestured for Klaus to join her out in the hall as she walked away from the crib. Reluctantly, Klaus left Hope to follow her, stepping out into the hall as well.

"You'll be pleased to know that Finn is no longer a problem," Klaus stated happily.

Hayley's arms were folded and her smiled disappeared from her face, concerning Klaus. "Jerrick died today. He was with Aiden, they were searching tombs for Finn, and found Mikael instead."

Klaus' mood changed to a more serious one. "I know he is on the loose again. From what I could figure out, my sister Freya was the one who woke him. He will be dealt with, I promise."

Hayley nodded. "And I trust you to do that. But we're not sending out another werewolf search party to find one of your murderous family members again-"

"I understand that you lost someone tonight, but one life is a small price to pay for the safety of our daughter," Klaus interrupted.

"The pack will protect Hope with their very lives if Mikael comes here. But if we send them to look for Mikael, and they find him, he will kill them before they can report back to us. Good men will die-"

"Mikael is a threat to our daughter."

Hayley was silent, unsure how to respond, knowing what Klaus said was true. "Let me be as clear as possible," Klaus continued, anger building in his voice. "Your pack, your friends, even your husband, they are all a necessary means to keeping _our_ _daughter_ safe. But I am not running a charity hostel here. If they are not fighting on my side they will not remain alive to fight at all. They _will_ fall in line."

 **Elijah's Loft...**

Elijah and Gia were now back in Elijah's apartment, discussing the events of the day in the living area, both tired and exhausted. "So, I take it all went well?" Gia asked, Elijah taking off his coat, then helping Gia take off hers before going to hang them both up.

"Not exactly. Vincent Griffith is still alive," Elijah stated. "And still under the influence of my brother Finn. I'm not happy about it, but Niklaus and I hit a snag in the cemetery when our older sister Freya decided to grace us with her presence."

"You have another sister?"

"Apparently. We believed she died back in the old world of the plague a thousand years ago, but surprise, surprise, another member of our family has a talent for cheating death."

Gia looked mildly surprised by this revelation. "Freya was adamant about keeping Finn in Mr. Griffith's body. She seems to think we can make Finn into a powerful ally," Elijah went on. "Not that it matters."

"What do you mean ' _not that it matters'_? Didn't you need Josephine's influence to protect your sister?"

"I do. But the price is too high. I would have no problem expelling Finn from his body and allowing Mr. Griffith to go back to the witches. But Josephine also asked for the same to be done with my brother Kol and his vessel Kaleb. Our only hope to protect Rebekah is if we put her back in her original body immediately. And while Kol's actions may irritate me at times, he is still my brother. If he loses that vessel, we lose him forever."

"And Finn's not your brother?"

Elijah paused. "Finn hasn't been my brother for a long time now. He's done too much harm to the people I love."

"I get that," Gia replied.

Elijah opened a case of beer and handed Gia a bottle before sitting down next to her on the couch with his own. Gia looked at him incredulously. " _You_ like beer?"

Elijah smiled. "I'm adapting to my audience," he said, examining the beer for a minute before taking a drink.

 **The Bywater Tavern...**

Klaus was sitting on a barstool, having drinks with Aiden in the Bywater Tavern, still reeling from the events of the day. "In every moment, a choice exists. We can cling to the past, or embrace the inevitability of change. And allow a brighter future to unfold for us," Klaus paused. "Such an uncertain future may cause for even more uncertain allies. Either way, a new day is coming, whether we like it or not. The question is, will you control it, or will it control you?"

Aiden was silent, listening intently to what Klaus was saying. "You know, for centuries, werewolf Alphas have lived as kings of a frightened or cursed people, forced to change every month on the full moon. But now, your pack is cured! You can change at will," Klaus stated, Aiden nodding in agreement. "You are at peace, and yet Jackson takes his leadership for granted. He doesn't see that we live in a new world, which is precisely why the wolves need a new leader. Someone chosen _by_ the wolves to guide them into a new future. Someone like _you_. I can help you become the leader your pack deserves."

Aiden gave Klaus a skeptical look. "And what's in it for you?" he asked.

"In return, I would only ask that you and your pack swear to protect my daughter. That is _all_ I will _ever_ ask of you, because _that_ is all that matters to me," Klaus replied firmly. "And you can't truly be happy under Jackson's leadership. As good a friend that Jackson is, do you really think he'll ever accept you being in love with a vampire, the sworn enemy of the Crescents?"

"Times are changing. The vampires and the Crescents are slowly making peace with one another."

Klaus smirked. "Like it or not, Aiden Lanier, you and Josh have Romeo and Juliet written all over you – or, Romeo and Romeo. Whichever you prefer. You know that times will not change fast enough. Under Jackson's leadership, you and Josh will inevitably be forced to part ways. But if you become leader of the Crescents, you won't have to worry about that. Everyone would be forced to accept you both as a couple. So what do you say Mr. Lanier, do we have a deal?"


	7. Breathe in, Breathe Out, Move On, Part 1

The Originals Season Two

Episode 16: Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

Part One

 _Author's Note: This is a Freya centric chapter, but also features Kol/Davina. There's also a Kol/Freya scene later on that I enjoyed writing because we never really got to see them interact in the TV Series aside from them exchanging a glance in 1914. That aside, I was asked if Kol would return to his original body at some point this story, and I have every intention of restoring his original body and Kaleb going on to become his own character. I just haven't decided whether when Kol returns to his original body if he'll remain an original or whether I'll come up with some clever loop hole and turn his original body into a witch body. Lastly, this episode is set two days after Episode 15, Ain't No City Like New Orleans._

 _ **The Kingdom of Norway, 972 A.D.**_

 _ **Dahlia's Cottage...**_

Freya sat in the middle of the floor of Dahlia's cottage, completely and utterly terrified. She was only five years old and had just been taken away from her family by her aunt Dahlia. She didn't understand what was going on.

Dahlia, on the other hand, was making some grains. She hummed a tune as she made up a plate of food for Freya, testing part of it by scooping it up with her finger and tasting it before she brought it over to Freya was seated. Dahlia presented the plate of food to Freya with a friendly smile on her face. Freya responded by looking up at her aunt fearfully, not moving a muscle.

"Eat, Freya, or you'll waste away!" Dahlia warned.

Still, Freya did not move, paralyzed by fear. Dahlia took a deep breath, trying to stay patient and calm, despite growing frustrated. Holding the plate of food, Dahlia knelt over in front of Freya and urged her to take the plate. "Freya, dear, you need to eat," Dahlia said, waiting for any kind of reaction from Freya. "You need your strength so that I may teach you to use the power that _runs strong_ in our bloodline. That will keep us warm in the cold, give us good health when others fall ill," Dahlia's voice was becoming sharper and more aggressive. Freya whimpered as Dahlia grabbed her arms and forced her to take the plate of food from her. " _With that power_ , we will defeat our enemies."

Noticing that Freya was only becoming more frightened of her, Dahlia hesitated, not wanting to scare her niece anymore than what she was already. Dahlia smiled as she gently caressed Freya's face with her hands. "We can stay young and beautiful," Dahlia stated, Freya jerking away from her touch, clearly uncomfortable. Dahlia wanted to take Freya's hands in her own and squeeze them gently to comfort her, but decided against it. "You need not be afraid. Together, we will be the _strongest witches_ this world has _ever_ seen."

"I want my mama!" Freya cried.

Dahlia looked at Freya with sympathy. "Your mother didn't want you. She gave you away. This is your home, now. I am your only family," she paused, cupping Freya's chin with her hand. "And there is _no_ greater strength, than family."

Freya looked back at Dahlia with wide eyes, remaining silent as a single tear ran down her cheek.

 **The Present Day, The Bell Tower of St. Louis' Cathedral...**

 _ **Eight Hours ago...**_

Finn, in Vincent's body, laid unconscious against a wall in the bell tower of the St. Louis' Cathedral. Elsewhere in the room was Esther's shrouded body, which was on the opposite side of the room from Finn. Freya stood in front of a table in the middle of the room, a knife in one hand. On the table was a wooden bowl and five lit candles. Inside the bowl was a bit of a sand, a small white feather and a small strip of paper with the name Eva Sinclair written on it in black ink. "I don't want to harm our sister," Freya said quietly, looking over to the comatose Finn. "But Rebekah will prove too vulnerable in the body of a mortal witch, especially being an amateur when it comes to magic. We need her as an original vampire in our war against Dahlia, and I can't trust Rebekah to leave her new body willingly. When Eva Sinclair regains control of that body, Rebekah's soul will be forced out, and her only choice... will be to return to her original body."

With that, Freya used the knife to slit the palm of her hand, cutting herself. As blood began to spill out of her open wound she turned over her hand towards the bowl and made a fist, allowing several drops of blood to drip into the bowl. She cringed a little from the pain but her personal comfort wasn't a priority right now. She waved her bleeding hand over the bowl and recited a chant three times over. Suddenly, the ingredients caught fire.

 **In the Mikaelson Compound, Rebekah's bedroom...**

It was night time. Rebekah was sound asleep in her bed, when her eyes suddenly snapped open, her heart beginning to race. _"Get out of my body!"_ a voice inside her commanded. The voice that belonged to this body. Eva Sinclair's voice. Rebekah shook her head in denial. She'd seen possession before, she was even possessed by the spirit of her mother once. She never heard of a soul waking up and fighting against the intruding spirit before. _"Did. I. Stutter?"_

 _ **Now...**_

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's "Playhouse"...**

Kol and Davina were looking through a couple of different books, searching for information that might help Kol break the hex that Finn placed on Kaleb's body. Whereas Davina looked somewhat well rested, Kol looked tired, as if he hadn't slept much in the last twenty four hours. Davina looked up from the book she had in her hands and over to Kol, smiling at him. Kol, however, remained preoccupied.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Davina started, Kol finally looking up from his book and over to her, giving her his attention. "Your original body was destroyed, so that's why you have to occupy a new body. But who on Earth managed to get the drop on vampire Kol Mikaelson?"

Kol's cheeks reddened as Davina finishing asking her question. "Well, to make a long story short love, I got subdued by a vampire hunter. Got a bit too cocky for my own good."

"That's just it, a vampire hunter?"

"This vampire hunter, was given a magical power boost that made him quite the formidable foe. And thanks to the magic that created this vampire hunter, if I killed him, I would spend the next couple of centuries trying to off myself in gruesome ways. This vampire hunter also had help from his older sister, who distracted me while her brother plunged the White Oak Stake into my heart," Kol explained.

"I still don't understand."

"You and a lot of other people. But that's the story. _Had_ my original body not been destroyed, I wouldn't be in this mess right now," Kol lamented. "Searching for ways to remove hex that _cannot_ be removed."

Davina frowned. "You don't know that Kol."

"Yes I do! I've seen hexes before. I know how they work. They don't stop until the subject of the hex is _dead_. I know enough about dark magic Davina, that I know there's no undoing what Finn did to me. He gave me a death sentence."

Davina paused, still processing what Kol just said. "So what, you're just going to give up?"

"I should, considering all of this is just a waste of time. And time isn't something I have a lot of. I don't want to die Davina. A thousand years ago, before my mom forced immortality upon me, I accepted death as a part of nature, the natural order of things. Now, I know what it feels like to die. I know what it is to stare into oblivion and know that's what awaits for me in death."

"I do too," Davina replied, interrupting Kol. "I had my throat slit. And it sucked," she continued, starting to tear up a bit. Kol looked at her sympathetically. "Then I came back to life. When I died, I joined my Ancestors, and they hate me. And when I inevitably died again, I get to go back to them."

Kol stepped closer to Davina, and held her face with both hands. "You and me Davina, we're in this together. Us against the world. And if anyone ever tries to slit your throat again, I'll kill them before they get a chance too."

Kol leaned in and met Davina's lips with his, kissing her. Davina closed her eyes and kissed him back, her heart thumping against her chest.

The moment was interrupted by Freya, who managed to find her way inside the playhouse, watching Kol and Davina. "I hate to interrupt," Freya said, Kol and Davina breaking away from one another to look at her. "But I hear you have a hex problem. And I think I might be able to help."

Kol studied Freya's features, trying to convince himself that he didn't recognize her, even though there was something that seemed familiar about her. "Have we met-"

"1914," Freya interrupted. "Christmas time. I watched as Niklaus stuck a dagger in your heart while Elijah restrained you. My name is Freya. I'm your sister."

Davina stared at Freya in disbelief. "Kol doesn't have another sister. Do you?" she asked, turning to Kol.

"I was kidnapped at the age of five by our Aunt Dahlia," Freya added. "Before Kol was born. Or Elijah, Niklaus and Rebekah for that matter. I was our mother's first born child, you were told I died of the plague back in the Old World."

Kol didn't seem to doubt what Freya was saying, having heard from his siblings that a woman claiming to be their sister was in the city. He also noticed as Freya subtly looked Davina over from head to toe. "Right, well, good to see you again. Let's return to the topic of my hex. How can you help me?" Kol asked.

Freya clutched the blue talisman around her neck with one hand. "I'm considerably more powerful than witches you've encountered in your travels brother. The talisman around my neck allows me to concentrate that power. With this talisman, I can do away with that hex of yours with ease."

Kol gave Freya a skeptical look. "Let's say you can remove my hex. What do you get out of it?"

"You're my brother, Kol. Granted a brother I don't really know, but you're my brother nonetheless. I don't want you to die," Freya paused. "And I'm also in need of allies. Our aunt Dahlia will come looking for Niklaus' child sooner rather than later, and when she comes I intend to kill her before she ever lays so much as a finger on that baby. But I won't be able to vanquish Dahlia on my own."

"You want my help when the time comes then?"

"I do. I also need you not to seek retribution for what was done to you," Freya replied.

Both Kol and Davina looked confused by Freya's choice of words. "Finn was the one who hexed you, was he not? After Elijah killed him, I resurrected him, through the use of my talisman. He is the only brother I knew before I was taken, he means a lot to me-"

"Finn condemned me to death," Kol interrupted, clearly angered by Freya's words. "So if I see him again, I'll see to it that he gets what he deserves. And nothing you say or do will stop me."

"Then I won't help you. Unless you promise me that no harm will come to Finn," Freya stated firmly, Kol gritting his teeth in response. "I'm not excusing Finn's actions and when there's a time and place for it, I will see to it that there is justice for you brother. But I will be the one to punish Finn and no one else. Do we have a deal, Kol?"

Kol sighed. He looked down at his necklace, reminding himself that if he ever lost it, they might not have enough time to find another quick fix. He was already a man living on borrowed time and he knew it. And while he hated the idea of not being able to exact vengeance on Finn, he hated the idea of dying more. Freya held out her hand, and reluctantly, Kol took it. "Fine. We have a deal. I won't hurt Finn."

Freya smiled widely. Davina looked at her with suspicion, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "So how soon can we get started?" Davina asked, folding her arms.

"I'll need to fetch a few ingredients first. I'll be back here with everything I need and ready to break Finn's hex around midnight. I give you my word."

 **The Bell Tower of St. Louis' Cathedral...**

Having returned to the Bell Tower of St. Louis' Cathedral, Freya walked over to a table in the centre of the room. On the table were four candles of various sizes, and a fancy card with the Mikaelson "M" embossed on the front. Freya picked up the card and examined it. Inside the card, was a message written in perfect calligraphy. The message read, _"_ _Join us for a family brunch. 2 P.M. Your brother, Klaus."_ Freya re-read the message, smiling in excitement.


	8. Breathe in, Breathe Out, Move On, Part 2

**Cami's Bedroom...**

" _You can't save me Cami, you can't save anybody. Not even yourself."_

Cami awoke from another disturbing dream, this one just as vivid as the one she had the other night. Except instead of featuring her vampiric Uncle Kieran, it featured her twin brother Sean, who also died from the same hex. In her dream, she was in St. Anne's Church, forced to watch as her brother murdered all of his fellow seminary students by slaughtering them with a scythe. She begged and pleaded for her brother to stop, only for her brother to turn the scythe on himself.

Cami sat upright in her bed, pulling the blankets off her body. Her heart was racing, and she was sweating. First Kieran, now Sean. It wasn't like she hadn't had nightmares about Sean before. The mass murder that her brother committed still haunted her to this day, even though she knew it wasn't really Sean that killed all of those people. He was under the influence of a hex after all. Still, she hadn't had nightmares about Sean ever since finding out about the hex from Klaus. Why was she dreaming about him now?

 **At Marcel's Loft...**

"I'm telling you someone did something to me last night Marcel, something mystical," Rebekah insisted. "I could hear her voice in my head, Eva's. And then I heard a scratching sound. And I can't remember what happened after that. I must've went back to sleep."

"Can you hear her voice right now?" Marcel asked, standing by his bar, while Rebekah stood by a couch.

"No. I can't," Rebekah admitted. "Which isn't a good sign. Marcel, I've had plenty of experience when it comes to spiritual possession and I've never heard of this happening before."

"Are you sure this wasn't a dream?"

Rebekah nodded. "I'm certain Marcel. Eva's spirit has woken up inside of this body while I'm still inhabiting it and she wants it back."

Marcel pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think of what to tell Rebekah. "Can't say I've ever heard of anything like this either. Alright, Kol was the one who stuck you in this body right?" Marcel cringed just at the thought of what he was about to say next. "Maybe you should go and talk to him about it."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of people yelling outside the apartment, confusing them both. "What the bloody hell is going on out there?" Rebekah asked.

"I don't know," Marcel replied anxiously. He stopped Rebekah as she went to go look out the window, insisting he do so instead. Taking one glance out the window, Marcel looked back at Rebekah, quite alarmed. "Stay away from the window, I'll go and handle this."

"Handle it, handle what?"

"Just stay put," Marcel warned in a stern voice. Rebekah looked at him incredulously as he darted out the door using his vampire speed. She didn't appreciate everyone around her treating her like a fragile object that had to be protected.

Marcel ran out the door to the outside building, stopping in front of a sizeable group of people who began congregating around. Marcel recognized about half of the people that were a part of the growing mob; they were witches, angry ones at that. Among them was Josephine LaRue, a witch Marcel never wanted to cross paths with again in his life.

"We want Eva!" one man shouted.

Marcel held out his hand. "Whatever the problem is, if everyone doesn't start backing the hell up I can guarantee it's going to get worse."

Josephine stepped through the crowd of people, getting closer and closer to Marcel, clearly the one leading the angry mob of witches and warlocks. "Marcel Gerard. Do you realize you're harboring a renegade witch?"

Marcel looked uneasy as he stared back at Josephine. He could never stand the judgmental gaze that came from her icy blue eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," Marcel replied, attempting to use a calm tone.

"Is that so?"

Josephine then nodded towards someone behind Marcel. Marcel, confused, turned around to look behind him, catching Rebekah closing the door behind her. He gave Rebekah the same incredulous look she gave him earlier.

"There she is!" a woman from the crowd yelled.

"I thought I told you to stay put," Marcel said to Rebekah, now looking frustrated.

Rebekah brushed Marcel off. "Well, I hate being told what to do, so I ignored you," Rebekah replied, pushing past Marcel and addressing the crowd, specifically Josephine. "Beg pardon, love, but I think this is all a simple misunderstanding," she said with a smile.

Josephine was not at all amused by Rebekah's charms. "No, this is retaliation for the evil you unleashed last night, Eva Sinclair," Josephine replied bitterly. The coloured drained out of Rebekah's face as she looked back over towards Marcel, confused and concerned. "Two children were attacked unmercifully last night. One dead, the other missing. All signs point to you, Eva."

Marcel stepped out in between Rebekah and Josephine, blocking everyone's view of Rebekah. "Whoa, hold on- the witch that you knew as Eva Sinclair is gone. Alright? The woman who stands behind me is Rebekah Mikaelson, as I'm sure Elijah informed you." 

"I'm afraid that alibi won't due Marcel. As for Elijah, we had a deal, and I'm afraid he didn't live up to his end of the bargain. But then, what can you expect from a vampire? Even if what you say is true, this body is still wreaking havoc in this city, and we must do what we can as a community to protect our children. Now stand aside Marcel."

"My brother is a man of his word!" Rebekah called out to Josephine from behind Marcel.

"What was the deal?" Marcel asked.

Josephine sighed. "We would release Ms. Sinclair into the custody of the Mikaelson family in exchange for the safe return of Vincent Griffith and Kaleb Westphall."

Rebekah's eyes widened at the mention of Kaleb's name, recognizing it as the name of the warlock whose body Kol was possessing. "What? I don't believe you, Elijah would never betray our family like that."

"Clearly you don't know Elijah as well you thought," Josephine replied with a smirk on her face. "Now it's time we take you back to the Fauline Cottage, Eva Sinclair."

"Nobody is taking anyone anywhere," a voice in the distance spoke. Rebekah recognized the voice as Elijah's and let out a sigh of relief. The mob broke up so Josephine could face the vampire. Elijah approached Josephine fearlessly, pushing past a couple of witches as he made his way to her. "Ms. LaRue. Can you imagine my surprise when I received a message from Gia that there was an _angry_ mob outside Marcel's apartment?"

"Any alliance you were hoping to make Elijah Mikaelson, is off the table," Josephine replied in a serious tone. "Or have you not heard what Ms. Sinclair did last night to two innocent children?"

Elijah didn't seem phased by what Josephine had to say. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. But I assure you my sister had nothing to do with it. Now as a gesture of goodwill, I will see to it that I will find whoever is responsible for this act of depravity, and make certain that _justice_ is served. You have my word on that. Now I encourage you all to leave."

"You have 'till tomorrow. To find both the killer, and return Vincent Griffith and Kaleb Westphall. If you fail to do so, I will not lift a finger to protect your _sister_. Our kind will stop at nothing to protect their children. I'm sure you can respect that."

 **In the Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah, having just arrived at the compound, joined Klaus in the dining room, taking off his coat and hanging it up before he headed towards the door. Klaus stood, having not taken a seat yet himself, a sly grin on his face. "There you are brother, _finally_. You know I hate to be kept waiting," Klaus teased.

Elijah smirked. "I'm afraid I was delayed."

"Our guest of honor should be here momentarily."

Elijah suddenly looked anxious. "Niklaus, Rebekah's situation has taken a turn for the worse," he warned, Klaus looking somewhat confused. "One child was murdered last night, another kidnapped. Both were witches, everyone seems to think Eva Sinclair did it. Ms. Sinclair, who is currently possessed by our sister. If Kol doesn't put Rebekah back in her original body within the next twenty four hours, we may need to ask for Freya's assistance."

Klaus sighed. "I can assure you, Elijah, all I want is a _simple chat_ with a long lost relative. On the off chance that Freya was being honest the other day, she has information that may be key to protecting my daughter from our wicked Aunt Dahlia. I'd prefer she share this information on my terms," Klaus paused, pointing towards his ear. "Ah, I think I hear her now."

Klaus turned to the door just as Freya entered the dining room, smiling warmly at her brothers. "Sister! Well, come in! Come in! Make yourself comfortable," Klaus said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Freya responded by looking at Klaus nervously.

Elijah's cellphone vibrated in his pant pocket, distracting both Klaus and Freya for a moment. Elijah quickly took his cellphone out and pressed the power button. Hayley was calling him. "I'm sorry, I should take this."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I sent Hayley and her _annoying_ husband out today specifically so we could avoid any potential interruptions. She's the one calling you, isn't she?"

Elijah didn't reply but instead, walked out of the room. Klaus then looked over to Freya, his smile returning. "Looks like it might very well be just you and me today sister," Klaus said, clapping his hands and walking around the table, pulling a chair out.

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's "Playhouse"...**

Kol, Davina and Rebekah were standing around the inside of the Claire Tomb, various books and loose pages of spells out in the open. Kol folded his arms, listening to Rebekah intently. "My hold on this body is weakening, I can feel it."

"The only way that could happen, is if someone somehow forced Eva's spirit to the surface through the use of a spell, or ritual. And by the sounds of if, this Eva girl didn't have any friends, or even people that liked her," Kol pointed out. "But I'm willing to expel you from this vessel now and put you back in your original body, if that's what you want."

"It's not about what I want," Rebekah insisted. "I want to stay in this body. But if I do, there will be a witch hunt for me. Josephine LaRue threatened to put me back in the Fauline Cottage earlier today, the only reason why she didn't... is because her and Elijah made a deal. She'll prevent any witches from taking retribution on Eva, and in exchange, she wants Vincent Griffith and Kaleb Westphall returned, unharmed."

Both Kol and Davina looked alarmed at this piece of information. "Elijah threw me under the bus, did he?" Kol asked, slightly annoyed.

"Elijah isn't going to hold up to his end of the bargain. Josephine's deadline is for tomorrow. As long as I'm back in my own body by then like Elijah and I plan, there'll be nothing to worry about."

"Except for the fact that one of the elders wants Kaleb back," Kol replied.

"Well they're not going to get him back anytime soon," Davina jumped in. "I don't care what kind of deal Elijah made."

"Then let's do this," Rebekah said calmly. "Let's put me back in my own body and let Eva pay for the crimes she's committed."

"Alright. Close your eyes," Kol ordered. When Rebekah did so, Kol put two fingers to Rebekah's forehead and began reciting a chant, using his other hand to hold Davina's, channeling her power. Davina held Kol's hand tightly as he said the chant three times over. Kol then closed his mouth and Rebekah suddenly collapsed on to the floor of the tomb, unconscious. Davina took her hand back from Kol and knelt down beside Rebekah's unconscious body, touching her neck and checking for a pulse. "Relax, love. If the spell worked, Rebekah's soul should be back inside her original body within the hour. Which means we don't have long before _Eva Sinclair_ wakes up. Which also means we should probably dig out the shackles and cuff her."

Davina looked up at Kol, confused. "Why don't we just kill her? She killed innocent children Kol. She doesn't deserve to live," Davina insisted.

"I want to use her as leverage. We'll hand Eva Sinclair into the custody of Josephine LaRue in exchange for me being allowed to keep Kaleb's body for as long as I like."

 **Hallway of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah was in a hallway of the Mikaelson Compound, talking to Hayley on his cellphone. "So everything's going just fine down in the Bayou?" Elijah asked.

"It is. I actually called you for a different reason-" Hayley began, but Elijah interrupted her.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to stay and talk on the phone right now. Klaus is with Freya right now and we may need to ask for her help later. Someone needs to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. The last thing we need is another powerful member of our family determined to end our immortal lives."

Hayley paused. "Alright, I'll let you get back to that then. Good luck keeping Klaus grounded for the afternoon."

"Thank you. Goodbye Hayley."

"Bye."

Hayley had hung up the phone. Exiting the call and turning off his cellphone, Elijah let out a sigh and headed back towards the dining room.

 _Author's Note: Well this ends the latest chapter of my story, fingers crossed you all enjoy it. So, confession time; the reason why I put Hayley/Elijah as a pairing in the description is because I know Elijah's primary love interest is suppose to be Hayley as far as the TO writers are concerned, but to be honest, I was never the biggest fan of the pairing, I also don't hate it either. I also thought that Hayley/Elijah was the fan preferred pairing for Elijah but I'm now beginning to think that more people like the Elijah/Gia pairing, which I don't have anything against and I find them a more interesting pair. The only relationship onscreen for Elijah that I really got invested in was Elijah/Katherine, but she's dead now. Like, really dead. A part of me kinda wants to change the description to initial Hayley/Elijah and eventual Elijah/Gia but I worry about alienating my readership. Let me know what you think in the reviews._


	9. Breathe in, Breathe Out, Move On, Part 3

**The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Freya were making small talk in the dining room of the compound when Elijah rejoined the pair, looking slightly irritated. Freya had a small artifact in her hands, examining it closely with a smile on her face. "This witch-hoop, it's Danish. Is this from when you all lived in Copenhagen in the late 1500s?" Freya asked.

Klaus grinned. "Quite the eye!"

A human servant walked in and set a few more plates on the table, filled with food.

"Forgive me," Elijah started in an impatient tone. "Are we here to discuss family heirlooms, or do we have more pressing concerns?"

Klaus smirked at Elijah, while the smile from Freya's face suddenly faded, and she went back to looking nervous and a little uncomfortable. "Please excuse my brother's lack of decorum. I think that talk with Hayley must've put him in a foul mood," Klaus said, throwing Elijah a look. "But he is _right_. The real and only reason why I invited you here, _sister_ , is because I was hoping you would share some of Dahlia's secrets. Secrets that would help us protect my daughter."

The three of them took their seats at the dining room table. As Freya sat down, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "The first thing you should know is that Dahlia is the most powerful witch I've ever seen. Our mother's power was nothing compared to hers. And she craves more power still. Currently, she is like me – limited to but one year of life in a century. But she wants to be free of that restriction. She wants to be an immortal witch. And _that_ is why she will come here- she will be drawn to your daughter and try to take the child's power for herself. And she will kill anyone who would defy her."

" _Yet_ you would defy her," Elijah observed.

Freya looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact with either of her brothers. "I don't have a choice. Dahlia sees me as a trophy she took from Esther, she would never let me be free. My only hope of freedom is if I align myself with you both, and we kill her," Freya paused. "In order for you to truly understand," she resumed, looking up at both Klaus and Elijah. "I should start from the beginning."

 **Kingdom OF Norway, 977 A.D.**

 **Outside Dahlia's Cottage...**

Five year old Freya stood outside Dahlia's cottage, watching her aunt quietly as she made a circle out of ash. Once she was finished making the circle, she used some of the leftover ash to draw Runic symbols within the circle. Dahlia had also set up several tall torches and arranged them in the shape of a pentagram. The circle was in the centre of the pentagram. Dahlia waved her hand at Freya, urging her to come closer. Freya stepped inside the circle with Dahlia, looking up at her aunt nervously.

Dahlia looked down at Freya, taking her hands and holding them. "Hold my hands and begin your chants," Dahlia instructed.

Freya closed her eyes and chanted with Dahlia. " _Medens galet cum saluta nobisan. Medens galet cum saluta nobisan."_

As Freya and Dahlia chanted, the torches suddenly lit by themselves, flaring brightly. Freya opened her eyes and gasped in awe and surprise as she looked at the lit torches around her, while Dahlia's head rolled backwards, her eyes shot wide open, staring up at the night sky. Her body then shook violently for a couple minutes, startling Freya. Then her body ceased shaking and Dahlia's head fell forward, her eyes blinking rapidly. Dahlia smiled at the startled Freya, looking quite satisfied with the results of the ritual preformed. She started to hum a tune Freya was familiar with, trying to calm her.

 **Present Day, Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Elijah leaned in as Freya told them her life's story, both of them intrigued. "After taking me from my family, Dahlia used me to forge a new brand of connective magic, one that augmented my power even as it allowed her to draw from me... Once we were bonded, Dahlia wasted no time proving her might," Freya paused, a pained look on her face. "Later that same year, the chief of a nearby village threatened to runs us off, accusing us both of witchcraft and being in league with dark forces. She decided to make an example out of the entire encampment – men, women, and children. I can still recall walking through the snowy village, and seeing the bodies of Dahlia's victims. They all had blood running down from their noses and their mouths. There were even a few babies in that village, but it didn't seem to bother Dahlia. On the contrary, she took pride in how powerful she was.

"She killed an entire group of people with the wave of a hand and an incantation. That was my first inkling of the power Dahlia had. Over the course of a thousand years, she's only grown stronger," Freya continued, turning towards Klaus. "And she will bring all her power to bear against you when she comes for your child."

Klaus was no longer grinning, instead looking noticeably disturbed by Freya's story and the claim she made about their aunt Dahlia. Elijah, on the other hand, remained calm and looked upon Freya with sympathy.

 **The Bayou...**

Hayley walked out onto the porch of her old shack in the Bayou, a cup of coffee in one hand, watching several werewolves spar with one another in a nearby clearing. Amongst the werewolves sparing was Jackson, who seemed to be enjoy himself, and Aidan, who seemed disinterested and detached. Walking away from the werewolf he was sparing with, Aiden came over to Hayley and sat down on the porch, letting out a sigh. Hayley sat down next to him, taking a sip from her coffee as she did.

"So, how's Queen Hayley doing?" Aiden teased.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "This queen just got the brush off from a friend so she's not exactly feeling great right now."

"Ah."

"What about you, what's got you preoccupied?" Hayley asked, taking another sip from her coffee.

Aiden took a minute to think before he gave Hayley a response. "A lot of things really. Worried about my relationship with Josh, you know, being a werewolf who's dating a vampire. A vampire that was sired by the one who cursed my pack to wolf form on every day of the month except for the full moon for a good long time."

"Still harbor a lot of resentment for Marcel huh?"

Aiden smirked. "Kind of hard not to. He weakened our clan, and I don't think he was ever going to break the curse on our people on his own. Hell, I think if it weren't for you showing up here in the Bayou, our people would still be cursed."

"That's a possibility," Hayley admitted.

"But Josh is.. Josh. I really like him. Enough to try and move past the whole vampire thing. But sometimes, I think about our relationship, and wonder what kind of future we could possibly have. I'll grow old and grey, and he'll still be an eternal stud," Aiden lamented. "Then I'll die and he'll find someone else. Maybe someone he'll love more."

"Or, you might get some vampire blood in you and become a hybrid like yours truly," Hayley suggested.

"There's a thought," Aidan paused, looking at Hayley. "But then I would walk in both worlds and belong to neither. I mean, if you had to choose, you wouldn't have chose the hybrid life, would you?"

Hayley smiled warmly. "If you asked me that question a few months ago, I would've said no. A witch even offered to put me in the body of a different werewolf, so I could have another bite at the apple. But I turned her down. While I don't like the judgment that comes with being a hybrid, being... what I am has helped me. I'm more durable, I was given the power to help my people. It's because of what I am that none of you have to worry about turning on the night of a full moon. You can now turn whenever you feel like. I couldn't have given you all that power if I didn't become a hybrid."

Aiden bit his lower lip, holding back whatever it is he wanted to say. Instead, he just smiled back at Hayley.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya, Klaus and Elijah continued to discuss Dahlia, none of them even touching the food that the human servants of the Compound put out for them. "While your stories are quite _fascinating_ ," Klaus said, his hands folded. "And while Dahlia does sound like the most vile, sadistic creature to have ever walked this Earth, Elijah and I have killed our fair share of witches, one of which was our own mother."

"The threat that Dahlia poses is not to be taken lightly Niklaus," Freya insisted. "These witches of the French Quarter, Esther, they're not like Dahlia. Without my assistance, Dahlia will kill all of you and claim Hope for herself."

Elijah slowly sipped his tea. "What are her weaknesses?" he asked calmly.

"She's paranoid, amongst other things. She hungers constantly for what's been denied to her, be it love... or revenge."

"I'm familiar with the type," Elijah replied, throwing Klaus a knowing look, only for Klaus to smirk in response.

Freya took a deep breathe in. "When I was a child, Dahlia would tell me tales of her own youth, being victimized by those stronger than her. She vowed never to be weak again. When she asked for the first-born of Esther's bloodline, she intended to raise those children in her own image, forming a coven of her own from which she could draw endless power. That plan was foiled the day she learned that Esther had ended her bloodline by turning her children into vampires. As you can guess, she was far from happy upon hearing about this," Freya paused. Klaus opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Freya continued. "The burden then fell to me. Dahlia demanded that I bear the first-born that would add to her power, but, I would _not_ allow a child of mine to live as I did – as a slave," Freya's eyes filled with tears. "So I decided I would never have children of mine own to spare them. After all, my life surely wouldn't be a long one."

 **Kingdom of Norway, 1004 A.D.**

 **Inside Dahlia's Cottage**

Dahlia had set up another magic circle on the floor of the cottage nearly identical to the one she made fifteen years ago when she preformed the bounding ritual. This time, there were more Runic symbols inside the circle. She hummed as she placed various herbs inside the circle, while Freya watched from a few feet away, terrified. She then made a spiral in the earthern floor of the cottage with her finger, inside the circle, before waving her hands over it while uttering an incantation.

Freya swallowed hard as she watched Dahlia suddenly gasp for air, her eyes rolling back into her skull. Freya didn't even show the least bit of concern for her aunt, she knew she wouldn't be rid of her so easily. Dahlia then blinked rapidly, and when her blinking ceased, she got to her feet, extending one hand out to Freya, a satisfied smile on her face. "Take my hand Freya," Dahlia ordered in a seemingly polite tone.

Freya didn't move an inch closer to Dahlia, shaking her head. Dahlia took a step forward while Freya took a step back, looking at Dahlia fearfully. "No, this is not right," Freya stated. "You already have more power than what any one person could need! I will not help you."

Dahlia's smiled turned crooked. "Don't be _stupid_. I'm offering you _eternal life_.We will sleep for a century and wake with a power unlike _any_ that's ever been seen! No one will dare challenge us ever again. It's what we've always wanted!"

"It's what you've always wanted!" Freya cried. Dahlia's smile faded completely, turning into a frown as she was growing more impatient by the second. "Please, do not bind me with this curse. Allow me this bit of freedom over my life."

Dahlia lowered her head, looking saddened by Freya's words. Freya thought for a moment that maybe Dahlia had relented, that she had given up. Before Freya could take another step, Dahlia reached out and grabbed Freya's hands roughly by her wrists, yanking her into the circle she made by force, ignoring Freya's protests. "You ungrateful child! I should kill you," she spat. "But you'll thank me. Maybe not now. But in a century or two, when you're still young and beautiful," Dahlia was still fuming, but relaxed herself enough to cast a spell. " _Sum eti mortalis mendeo_."

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's Playhouse...**

Eva Sinclair awoke, in complete control of her own body, inside the Claire Tomb, sitting on a wooden chair, her hands in shackles and her feet tied together with rope, preventing her from getting up and running away. Before her was Kol and Davina, Kol carrying a large steel knife in his right hand.

Kol approached Eva with the knife while Davina stood a few feet away and watched. Eva squirmed as Kol placed the tip of the knife against Eva's throat, threatening to poke her with it. "Eva Sinclair. Hello. Name's Kol, Kol Mikaelson. I was the one who put you on ice for a while, you see I used your body to house the soul of my sister, Rebekah. But my sister's soul has officially left your body. Which means I have no reason to keep you alive."

Eva smirked confidently. "Going to kill me, are you?"

"I have thought about it truth be told. I'm told you did a lot of bad things to the witches of this city. In fact, last night, according to my sister, you attacked a couple of kids. One dead, the other missing. Care to tell me what happened?"

"What difference does it make to you?"

Davina stepped forward. "He wanted to hand you over to Josephine LaRue," Davina started. "Who would be more than happy to send your ass back to the Fauline Cottage," Davina continued, Eva's eyes widening at the mention of the Fauline Cottage. "But I figured we could get information out of you first. Now we can hand you over to Josephine right now if you want. Or, you can tell us where this missing kid is, and we'll do you the favour of killing you. Your choice."

Eva gave Davina a sadistic grin. "How can you be so sure Rebekah's soul is no longer within this body? Tell me, have you spoke with her yet?"

Kol bit his lower lip. "There's no reason why she would be. The spell had to have worked," he said, his grip on the knife tightening.

"I would double check before you go slitting my throat," Eva warned in a playful tone, to Kol's growing frustration.

Kol turned to Davina, a concerned look on her face. He gave the knife to Davina, and took his cellphone out of one of his pant pockets, quickly going through his contact list and finding Klaus. "One easy way to check," he said under his breathe, his thumb hovering over the call button.

Author's Note:

Dante 101 – _I like reading your reviews, honesty is always appreciated. I honestly hadn't considered the possibility of having Hayley/Elijah as friends instead, which could be perceived as a lack of creativity on my part. I don't plan on making Freya villainous, obviously she won't exactly be a "hero" either, but I wouldn't consider her evil. I always picture her being as morally ambiguous as her siblings. I loved the Freya we saw onscreen, I thought the idea of her was intriguing and made for a more interesting story. As for Mikael surviving in this version of events, I don't have plans to radically change his character and suddenly make him lose interest in killing Klaus because that's not realistic. Even with Freya back, he's hunted Klaus for a thousand some odd years. That being said, I do have plans for the Mikael character that doesn't involve him succeeding in killing his stepson or meeting his end at the White Oak Stake. I could tell you all now what my plans are exactly, but then I would be taking away some incentive to read on. Even though I would still write even if no one was reading because I've really gotten into writing again._

XxXLuvTheOriginalsXxX – _I'm glad your enjoying the story so far. Your praise is much appreciated._

Libsrock – _I appreciate that you think my storyline is really good. I agree that TO does not give enough screen time to all of the important characters and it was incredibly frustrating that Jackson got to live, someone who was easily one of the more annoying characters on The Originals, and yet great characters like Kol, Aiden and Gia had to die. I also agree that TO is primarily about family, and I love that about the show. I was disappointed that they never expanded on the relationship between Kol and Elijah, so that's why in this story I kind of wanted to explore that. I also found it weird that Freya and Klaus were seemingly getting along in the season finale, despite being very antagonistic towards each other before that._

Nonni418 and haylijah4ever – _I don't plan on changing the description in the near future. I'm still undecided and going back and forth in my head as to what I want to do._


	10. Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on, Part 4

**Marcel's Loft...**

Cami sat on a couch in Marcel's loft, downing a glass of bourbon as they talked. Marcel sat on the opposite couch, making eye contact with Cami while drinking a glass of bourbon himself. "So you gonna tell me what brought you to my side of the city?" Marcel asked with a grin on his face.

"Didn't want to spend the day by myself," Cami lied.

"Right."

Cami rolled her eyes. "Maybe I'm just looking to keep busy."

Marcel sat forward, placing his empty glass on the table located in between the two couches, leaning in a little towards the table as he did. "What are you trying to take your mind off of? Cami, I know you. I also know that I'm not the person you see just to catch up with."

Cami took the bottle of bourbon that was sitting on the table and poured herself another drink, to Marcel's concern. "Alright, so something is on my mind. Not too long ago I had a dream about my uncle Kieran, trying to kill me. Last night, or more like this morning, I had a dream about Sean and the massacre he committed in St. Anne's Church. Also I've had the worst on-off headaches for the last couple of days."

Marcel paused, watching as Cami took a big gulp of the second glass of bourbon she poured herself. "Sorry to hear about that," Marcel replied in a sincere tone.

"The worst part is, these dreams are very vivid," Cami admitted. "I feel like I'm physically there. They don't feel like dreams. They feel more like visions. I can't help but wonder if it's not some kind of side effect from when Finn and Esther tried to erase me from my own body."

Marcel poured himself another glass of bourbon, taking the bottle after Cami had put it back on the table. "I wouldn't know about that. Of all the experience we've had with possession in the last year or so, never met someone who was prepped and then didn't wind up possessed at all. Though I'm not exactly an expert myself when it comes to witchcraft."

"Neither am I. Which is why I'm actually considering this as a possibility, instead of accepting the likely reality that I just had a couple of nightmares about family members that died tragically. And the headaches are probably unrelated."

Marcel got up from the couch he was sitting on and sat himself down next to Cami. "You're going to be okay Cami," Marcel assured her, putting his free hand on her leg.

Cami suddenly felt her head begin to throb, despite feeling fine moments earlier. She then looked over to Marcel, forcing a fake smile on her face, ignoring her pain. "I know."

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's "Playhouse"...**

Kol slipped his phone back into his left pant pocket, frustrated. He was certain both Klaus and Elijah had their cell phones turned off for some reason. In retrospect, he probably should've asked Rebekah to give him a call when she was back in her own body. But then, he didn't expect the spell not to work. Unless the spell someone cast to bring Eva's consciousness to the surface had something to do with it. Regardless, he couldn't take the chance in killing Eva right now, knowing that he might lose Rebekah's soul forever if he did.

"I don't know who saved my soul," Eva started, a twisted grin on her face. "But let me know if you ever find out. I should send them a fruitbasket."

Kol turned around, glaring at Eva. "Surely you know whether my sister's soul is still inside you or not. Why don't you just tell me?"

Eva laughed. "And lose my leverage? How stupid do you think I am?"

Kol approached Eva, barely containing his rage. "There are plenty of things I could do to this body Ms. Sinclair that wouldn't kill it. Keep in mind, I was an original vampire for a thousand years. Not just an original vampire. I was Kol _bloody_ Mikaelson. And I'm still him. I'm just in a different body."

Eva smirked, not taking Kol's threats seriously. "Go ahead then. Torture me. See if I care. Keep in mind, I'm Eva Sinclair. I take children away from their parents, for the sole purpose of gaining power. The difference between you and I Kol, you have standard, I don't. You wouldn't dream of doing what I do, what I've done."

Kol put his hand underneath Eva's chin, grabbing her by the head. He leaned over to look her in the eye, trying to intimidate her as best he could. "Let's not forget who has the power over who here. You're really in no position to be making threats. And it's quite unwise for you to underestimate me."

Kol sighed, taking his hand off Eva and turning around to see Davina, who looked more than just a little uncomfortable. "While I would _love_ to teach Eva here some manners, I think I'll pay a visit to my brothers at the compound. Find Rebekah's original body, see if she's back in it or not," Kol paused. "You should be fine here. With those shackles on, Eva's of no threat to you. And as tempting as it is love, try not to kill her. Not until we know for certain whether Rebekah is still inside her or not."

"She went after children Kol. She's the worst kind of murderer there is."

"I know. And as soon as we get this situation resolved, will hand her over into the custody of Josephine LaRue. Then Eva will be their problem to deal with, not ours."

 **The Bayou...**

Hayley and Jackson were sparring together outside their trailer, Hayley easily proving to be the better fighter due to her hybrid status. She managed to block every hit and kick Jackson threw at her with ease, to his frustration. Jackson suddenly stops fighting, Hayley giving him a look of concern. "Something wrong Jack?"

"Well it's not exactly good for a man's self esteem when his wife can kick his ass and he knows it," Jackson replied, folding his arms.

Hayley looked at Jackson in disbelief. "Oh my god, do you have a problem with me being stronger than you? I'm a hybrid Jack. You know that changes everything when it comes to who's the better fighter. Besides, since when did being a _macho_ man matter so much to you?"

"Since I became the Alpha of a pack of super powered werewolves," Jackson paused, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, while Hayley folded her arms in response. "Look, I'm sorry. Guess I'm just a little on edge. Aiden said something to me earlier. He was just trying to help but... being an Alpha, it's a title I have to earn each and every day I lead our pack."

"What did Aiden say to you?"

"He more or less questioned my leadership skills. He told me Klaus had our pack on leashes, and it was only a matter of time before one of my wolves questioned my leadership and tries to take the Alpha title for themselves. It's what happens in a wolf pack."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "The pack loves you, Jack. And Aiden was only saying that because he's looking out for you. He's just trying to be a good friend."

"I know."

"Just try not to let being an Alpha to a pack of enhanced werewolves change who you are as a person," Hayley warned.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus, Elijah, and Kol stood around the living room of the compound, Kol explaining the spell he preformed on Rebekah's soul while his brothers listened intently. Inside the living room, was a casket, the door propped open, exposing Rebekah's original body for all to see. Her body appeared completely dessicated, her once milky white skin now gray, and her veins now clearly visible and darkened. "I don't know how that sod off witch Eva gained control back of her own body," Kol stated. "But somehow she has. Someone must've helped her, another witch, brought her consciousness back up to the surface."

Elijah looked over to Klaus. "Freya is waiting for us downstairs, perhaps we should-"

Klaus cut Elijah off. "Have you lost your mind, brother? Tell me we're not considering opening our sister's head to someone we barely know!"

Kol bit his lip. "I don't trust her anymore than you do Nik. But Davina and I lack the power to fight something like this. Freya wields more power than both of us combined, and to her credit she did save Rebekah from the Fauline Cottage."

Klaus looked at Kol incredulously. "An act no doubt meant to secure our trust! And need I remind you, Kol, that it's because of you Rebekah is in this bloody mess in the first place! It's because of you that Rebekah ended up in the Fauline Cottage with the woman who claims to be our sister-"

"Do you think I've forgotten so soon Nik? I know whatever's happening to Rebekah right now is my fault. But in spite of what you may think about me, in spite of our past, I do care about Rebekah. And like it or not, Freya's our best bet of saving Rebekah's soul," Kol replied. "It would be our best course of action to ask Freya for help."

Klaus turned his head, looking at Kol suspiciously. "What makes you so willing to trust Freya?"

Kol swallowed nervously, avoiding Klaus' gaze. "She came to me earlier today. She offered to break the hex that Finn placed on this body, she didn't ask for anything in return. So, I took her up on it. We're suppose to meet in my tomb tonight at midnight, where she'll bring the necessary ingredients to preform such a task."

"You would put your own safety, your own life, in the hands of a stranger Kol?! The brother I knew would never be so stupid-"

"The brother you know would do anything to save himself from dying yet again!" Kol interrupted. "I wasn't a huge fan of it the last time around. And this time I don't have the promise of ending up on the Other Side for eternity. I'll be sucked away into oblivion. So yes, I took Freya's deal."

Klaus shook his head. "While you two might be so foolish as to trust someone we barely know, I am not. We're not trusting Freya with our sister's soul. We've no way of even knowing of what anything she said today was true."

Elijah let out a sigh as the tension in the room continued to build. "Niklaus, we understand your concern. But we're all powerless to help Rebekah," Elijah started, glancing over at Kol briefly, Kol nodding. "Now, either we leave Rebekah's spirit trapped in the flesh of Eva Sinclair, or we place our faith in the hands of someone we believe to be our blood," Elijah paused again, Klaus gawking at him, appalled. "Right now, I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to family."

 **Marcel's Loft...**

Cami and Marcel hadn't moved from the couch they were sitting on together, the only difference was now Cami was just drinking a glass of water while Marcel was continuing to drink bourbon. "You know you never talk about your past much? Like when you became a vampire? Or how you became a vampire?" Cami pointed out, interested to see how Marcel would respond.

Marcel grinned, though Cami could tell that the grin didn't necessarily indicate that he was thinking of the past fondly. "It was in 1835. I was trying to free some slaves, and the governor at the time caught me, and he put a bullet in me. It wasn't too long after I got shot that Klaus found me. Right then and there, as I was dying, I asked him to make me into a vampire. And though he really didn't want to, he sired me, granting me my wish. Klaus fed me some of his blood, I died, and came back to life as an immortal. And that's the story."

"Why was Klaus so reluctant to turn you? I mean, I don't know Klaus that well, but he does come across as the kind of guy who values vampires more than humans."

"Klaus didn't want to turn me, because he cared about me. More than you would expect him to. Klaus and his siblings never had the choice in whether to become vampires or not, and Klaus believed that they all lost their innocence when they turned. They became different people. Bloodthirsty monsters. While Klaus told me growing up that he would make me into a vampire like him some day, I don't think he ever wanted to. That being said, I don't think he wanted to see me grow old and die either. Klaus is a complicated guy."

"No surprises there," Cami commented.

"You and him, you have some kind of weird connection," Marcel noted, to Cami's surprise. "You probably don't think so, but you do. Klaus cares about you, I can tell. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let me back into the city to comfort you when Kieran died. And I have to tell you, I've never seen Klaus like this with someone he doesn't consider family."

"And how does that make you feel?" Cami joked.

Marcel laughed. "If some day you and Klaus want to start something, you have my blessing. Even though you'd be dating the guy who's kinda like a father to me."

"That's not awkward at all."

"It's only awkward if we make it awkward. Besides, you and me, it's not like we had some kind of long term relationship with all kinds of feelings involved-"

Cami smiled. "What we had, it was nice. Just not ideal. Considering you still had feelings for Rebekah, and I think you always will."

Marcel's grin faded, a sort of sad look appearing on his face. "Me and Rebekah, that's never going to work out. For any number of reasons. Not least of which is the fact that every time we try to have a relationship, it ends in disaster. I don't know why we somehow keep finding our way back to each other, when it's clear that-"

Cami interrupted Marcel again. "It's because you're in love. And you'll keep ending up back together until either it works or one of you falls out of love. Or one of you dies."

"Always the optimist I see."

 _Author's Note: So this chapter took a bit longer to write than I thought it would. It's like, I knew what I wanted to happen but putting it into sentences was where I was struggling. I rewrote the scene at the beginning of the chapter with Marcel and Cami I think three times. Anyhow, to the Guest that wrote review #37, feel welcome to share your ideas. While I already have some rough ideas of where I want to take the story, I'm interested to hear what your idea is for Mikael later on. And yes, I did know Vincent Griffith's favorite condiment was mustard (thanks to the vampire diaries wiki). But, sorry to disappoint, I have not seen Naruto (though I do know of it). Sorry if this chapter is not as good as previous chapters. I'm aware that I'm not the greatest writer out there, and this for sure isn't the greatest TO story on . But I appreciate those of you who have taken time out of your day to read every chapter thus far._


	11. Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on, Part 5

**The Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah and Freya entered into the living room of the compound together, Elijah with his hand on Freya's back, guiding her into the room. Elijah then stood off to the side, while Freya approached Kol, who was sitting on the couch. Klaus, meanwhile, sat on a stool next to the wooden bar inside the room, a mostly empty glass in his right hand.

Freya smiled at Kol as she looked down at him. "Kol, didn't expect to see you again before midnight."

"You and me both, sister. I'm afraid the circumstances are a bit dire though," Kol replied, giving her a smile in return.

With that, Freya sat herself down next to Kol on the couch, making herself comfortable. Klaus looked over to Elijah, annoyed that his older brother went against his wishes in involving Freya with the Rebekah crisis.

"You all needn't worry," Freya stated, looking over at Kol, then at Klaus, or more accurately Klaus' back since his body was turned away from her, and finally at Elijah. "Elijah explained the problem to me. And I believe I can help."

"Rather confident, aren't we?" Klaus muttered loudly, making sure Freya would hear him.

Freya looked back at Klaus, not understanding the attitude he was giving her. She scoffed, and redirected her attention at Kol, turning her body to face him. "I'm given to understand that you prepped Eva Sinclair's body to be used as a vessel for Rebekah's spirit while you were inside the body you're in right now?" Freya asked. Kol nodded, a little annoyed at the constant reminding from his siblings, including the sibling he hardly knew. "Eva Sinclair's spirit may be powerful. And no doubt she knows that Rebekah means something to this family, she won't give up Rebekah's soul willingly. Fortunately, I happen to know of a spell that could give us Rebekah back without giving Eva a say in the matter. Unfortunately, the spell I have in mind, would place Rebekah's soul back in her original body and kill Eva Sinclair."

Kol gave Freya a nervous look. "Slight problem with that plan. The problem being that last night our girl Eva slit the throat of one child, and was responsible for the disappearance of another. I'm certain this child is still alive, and so is Davina. Needless to say she's going to be pretty upset with me if we kill Eva before finding out where this kid is. And for that matter, so will the witches of New Orleans. Who already aren't happy with me for taking over the body of Kaleb Westphall. Such a resentful bunch they are."

"Alright, we'll just get the location of this missing child out of her before we kill her," Freya replied, seemingly not phased by what Kol just told her.

"You make it sound so easy," Klaus mused.

Freya rolled her eyes. "I know the reputation that this family has. Both you," Freya said, looking over at Klaus, who turned around and finally looked at her. "And Kol have shed so much blood over the thousand years you've both been alive. Surely you guys must know a thing or two about torture-"

"You would be surprised," Elijah added.

A sly grin appeared on Klaus' face. "You might say we're something of experts when it comes to making people talk. That being said, I'm not harming the body that my beloved sister currently inhabits. Out of the question. We can't even be certain your spell will look, all we have is your word."

"I expected you to be so difficult Niklaus. Your reputation preceeds you," Freya said, slipping off the couch and walking towards Klaus, stopping a couple of feet away from him while Klaus smiled at her mockingly. "But, if we are to save Rebekah, and later face Dahlia together, you _will_ have to trust me," Freya paused. "Can you not at least give me a _chance_ to prove myself in your eyes?"

"Trusting others blindly, is what gets you killed," Klaus responded harshly. "Rebekah once trusted a man who later attempted to dagger our entire family. Fortunately, being a hybrid the dagger had no effect on me. Our siblings weren't so lucky."

Kol and Elijah seemed disturbed by the reminder of their sister's mistake that she made back nine hundred years ago that resulted in all of them being daggered except for Klaus.

"Fun fact," Klaus continued. "That was our family's first encounter with the White Oak Daggers. I had to take the daggers out of Rebekah, Elijah, and Kol.. Finn I left the dagger in. Didn't take it out for nine hundred years, and even then it was Elijah who finally took the damn thing out. I would have left it in indefinitely if I could've."

Freya looked at Klaus incredulously. She then turned around to address both Elijah and Kol, while Klaus turned to face the bar, looking away. "I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all for a thousand years," Freya started, walking towards Elijah. "Elijah – when you were in Esther's womb, she would ask me to sing to you and I would feel her belly as she did," Freya smiled warmly at Elijah, who looked back at her stoically. "How you would kick. She would say it was as if Thor himself had raised his hammer-"

"And summoned thunder and lightning," Elijah interrupted, finishing her sentence for her with a small smile on his face. "Mother rarely mentioned you, but when she did, she would say how enchanted you were with the prospect of my birth."

Kol rolled his eyes dramatically, not one for the sentimental. Freya turned around and started walking towards Kol. "I wanted more brothers, and sisters. I liked the idea of having a big family. I remember when I first met you, Kol, back on that street corner in 1914. When you introduced yourself to me... it was hard to contain my excitement, knowing that this was my brother, standing before me. I'm sorry I gave you an alias. But I wasn't ready to tell you. Not then."

Kol smiled awkwardly at her. He was still getting over the fact that he had taken his sister as a date to his family's christmas party back in 1914. Of course it was before he had no idea who she really was but somehow that didn't make him feel any better about it.

"I was ruined by those who raised me," Freya lamented. "If nothing else, at least we have that in common," Freya continued, looking over to Klaus, who still had his back turned to her.

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's Playhouse...**

Davina had her cell phone in her hand, waiting for a text from Kol anxiously. The large knife that Kol had out earlier was currently laying on a table inside the crypt. Eva was still bound to a wooden chair, with no obvious way to escape, to her frustration.

"So, you're a Harvest girl right?" Eva asked, attempting to make conversation with Davina. But Davina ignored her. "You must have some incredible power at your fingertips. I wonder why you don't do more with it."

Davina was looking more anxious by the minute, and Eva rolled her eyes, knowing who she was waiting for. "Kind of odd if you ask me. A harvest girl dating a former original vampire. From what I understand, the originals have been around for centuries. You ever wonder just how much blood your boyfriend spilled?"

"Shut up," Davina muttered.

"I know you have. See, you're judging me for my crimes, yet you don't judge Kol for his. Explain to me why."

Davina lifted her head, looking at Eva instead of her cell phone's screen. "Kol didn't have a say in becoming a vampire. And as a vampire, Kol was a completely different person. Before he turned he wasn't a killer. And now that he's no longer a vampire, he no longer kills innocent people. What's your excuse?"

Eva laughed. "Is that what he's told you? And even then, the corruption that vampirism does to the soul, it leaves a stain that can never be cleaned. Your boyfriend is still a monster at heart, sweetie. But then I don't think I have to tell you that. I imagine you already know. Unless you actually believe in the rubbish you're saying. In which case you're a bigger fool than what I originally took you for."

Davina put her cellphone in her pant pocket, walking over to Eva and approaching her. "I won't kill you. If only because Rebekah's soul is still inside you. But as soon as Kol gets his sister out of you, there is nothing to stop me from slitting your throat. Until then, I know of a few spells that could do you harm without killing you. How would you like to be blind? Or deaf? Or both?"

Eva laughed once more, unable to take Davina's threats seriously. "I doubt a girl your age knows such spells. You're, what seventeen?"

"I happen to have a teacher who's a thousand. He's spent his whole life studying magic. He's traveled from continent to continent, country to country, village to village. And there's a lot of his grimoires and spellbooks here. Do you really wanna try me?"

"Might as well. Got nowhere to be except strapped down to this chair, wondering when you and Kol are going to finally do away with me. I can't very well make any attempts to escape with these shackles negating my magic. Oh, I have a question, do you know a Vincent Griffith perhaps?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He's my husband. He stabbed me in the back once he saw my not so pleasant side. I can't help but wonder what's become of him. Hopefully the wanker's good and dead."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Freya were now alone inside the living room of the compound, Elijah and Kol having left only moments ago. Klaus was still sitting on his stool at the bar while Freya remained on the couch, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "You know, while your melodramatic tales did interest me," Klaus began, grabbing Freya's attention. Klaus turned around on his stool, looking over at Freya. "I suspect you were not entirely forthcoming. You're hiding something Freya. I want to know what. You come into our lives, with talk of wanting to be part of this family, after previously siding with Finn and working alongside Mikael, the man who not only tried to kill me countless times, but also made an attempt or two on Elijah's life. I don't understand."

Freya looked surprised at the mention of her father attacking Elijah. "The Finn and Mikael you know, those aren't the men I knew. Father loved Finn and I with all of his heart, he was a good man when I knew him. And Finn, was an innocent child. He was such a sweet boy. I knew a lot had changed in the thousand years we had been separated... but I hadn't imagined them becoming.. the monsters you described. Granted, Finn might have been have half as cruel if it weren't for you keeping him in a box for nine centuries. But I want to believe that all hope is not lost. That I can help undo the centuries of damage done to them and the damage done to this family."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm going to ask one more time, then I'm going to get violent. What are you hiding Freya?"

"You want to know why I hate Dahlia as much as I do?" Freya asked, tears forming in her eyes. She looked away from Klaus and stared down at the floor, avoiding his gaze. Klaus got up from the stool he was sitting on, walking over towards the couch and sitting himself down next to her. "It all goes back to a man. His name was Matthias. He was another witch, but he had only half the power I did. We knew each other for one perfect year in the early 1400s. I loved him more than anything," tears were now freely streaming down Freya's cheeks as she continued telling her story. "And Dahlia allowed me to love him."

"Of course," Klaus replied. "She wanted you to bear her another first-born."

"I," Freya paused, nearly choking on her words. "I broke my vow and gave into love. And my love for Matthias, led to the darkest moment of my life. The day when I tried to steal from Dahlia that which she wanted most."

Klaus was intrigued. "And what, precisely, was that?"

Freya looked up at Klaus, struggling to hold back more tears. "My son," she replied weakly, her voice breaking. Freya tried to wipe away the tears from her face with her hand. "Matthias only wanted _our_ son to be born free. He stood up to Dahlia, and Dahlia cursed him to die, placing a very similar hex upon him to the one that Finn placed on Kol. I was only five months along in my pregnancy when Matthias died."

"What happened next?" Klaus asked quietly.

"I knew that I'd never be free of Dahlia, that my child, my _son_ would be born a slave. Damned to live out the same life I did. To spare us both the horrors of the life I'd known, I took a bottle of Dahlia's strongest poison," Freya went on. "I wanted to die, knowing only death would release me from my pain. But Dahlia knew that my death was never an option. That was the day I learned I could never die. My life, just like my pain would last forever. My son... he died inside of me when I ingested the poison, even though I lived."

For a moment, Klaus looked at Freya with sympathy, troubled by her story. But that moment was brief, and Klaus shook his head, forcing down his emotions. "Dahlia took my freedom, she stole me away from my family, she killed the love of my life, and if that wasn't enough... she took my son from me too," Freya looked at Klaus angrily, her face stained with tears. "Is that the truth you wanted to hear, brother?"

"Whether I believe you or not, is no matter," Klaus replied, Freya sighing with exhaustion, rolling her eyes. "You told that tale to garner my sympathy! Thinking the shared plight of a child in danger would bond us. But I will _not_ be, manipulated!"

Freya got off the couch, getting to her feet and staring down at Klaus. "Whatever you so choose Niklaus, one certain truth remains – Dahlia is coming. With me in your corner, you stand a chance at defeating her. Without me, she will take your daughter, and kill both you and Hayley without giving it a second thought at the very least."

"Are you quite _finished_?" Klaus snapped, getting up as well and standing right in front of Freya, who remained unintimidated. "If there _is_ to be an alliance between us, it will be one of _my_ design. And if you _ever_ try to control me again, I _will_ see to it that you spend the rest of your immortal life regretting it. Do you understand, sister?!"

Freya was fuming. "Then go ahead, _leave_. I already have Elijah and Rebekah's trust, and I am not going _anywhere._ But, if I were _you,_ brother, I would rethink your alliances as you go forward."

Klaus sneered. "So nothing can kill you? A bold claim if you ask me," Klaus taunted. Before Freya could respond, Klaus quickly placed his hands around Freya's head and snapped her neck like a twig in one quick motion. Klaus allowed Freya's body to drop to the floor, a satisfied look on his face.

 **The Bell Tower of the St. Louis Cathedral**

Finn's unconscious body was laying up against a wall, perfectly still, when his eyelids suddenly opened. He was awake. He searched the room with his eyes, not getting to his feet just yet, looking for Freya. But she was nowhere to be seen. He felt a little disoriented, the last thing he remembered was Freya uttering the word "sleep". And then it hit him. He was in the cemetery when Freya said that, now he was in the Bell Tower. How long had his sister put him to sleep for?

 _Author's Note: So this is the second last chapter of my alternate episode 16. I know there was only five chapters for the last episode, sorry I'm dragging this on a bit, but I don't want to make the chapters too long. Sorry for the typo last chapter but it has since been fixed. If anyone has any questions regarding the story so far, please feel free to ask._

 _Thank you to everyone whose written reviews, and favourited and/or followed this story. Oh and some of you may have noticed the year that one of the flashbacks took place in chapter 8 I think has changed from 992 A.D. to 1004. I've been conversing with Dante 101, who suggested the change to me to make the story seem more plausible. I promise I won't be going back and make huge changes to the story though, just this little one to help add to the story. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter._


	12. Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on, Part 6

**Norway, Kalmar Union, 1408 A.D.**

The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow. A pregnant Freya and Matthias were just outside of Dahlia's Cottage, Matthias laying against a wall of the cottage, breathing heavily, bleeding from the nose and occasionally coughing up blood. Freya sat nearby, watching in horror, trying to stay strong for her lover while comforting him in his final moments. She knew there was no way she could undo what Dahlia did to him. Matthias had maybe an hour left to live at the most. Had she not given in to love, had she not gotten pregnant with his child, he would've never crossed paths with her vicious aunt. But it was too late for that. Now all she could do was watch him die horribly.

"It's okay... Freya," Matthias said weakly, holding Freya's hand and gripping it tightly as the pain in his limbs intensified by the minute. He looked into Freya's eyes and forced a smile on his face, bearing his once pearly white teeth which were now stained red with human blood, _his_ blood. "I'm not... I'm not scared."

"I'm so sorry my love," Freya replied, her eyes shining with tears.

"Don't be. Just promise me... promise me you'll-" Matthias stopped, violently coughing up more blood. Freya took him into her arms, hugging him and rubbing his back gently. He rested his head on her shoulder briefly before pulling away, Freya taking a step back and releasing him. Matthias tried to open his mouth again, but couldn't bring himself to, crippled by the immense pain that came with Dahlia's hex.

Freya cupped Matthias' face with her hands. "I'll tell him all about you.. every day. He'll know how much you loved him. And he'll never know what it's like to be Dahlia's slave.. I give you my word."

Freya smiled through her tears at Matthias. Matthias smiled in return, feeling that it would be the last time he would lay eyes upon his beloved Freya. Matthias blinked painfully, reaching out for Freya's hand and gripping it even tighter than before. His body began to shake violently for a few minutes as thin, twin trails of blood ran down from his tear ducts. Freya gasped.

Then it was over. Matthias' eyes rolled back and his heavy breathing ceased. He was dead.

Freya, still holding Matthias' face, began to panic, knowing what had just happened. Matthias had died right before her eyes. "Matthias.. Matthias no. No. No! Come back. Come back, I can't do this alone.." Freya sobbed. "Please.. Come back.. I need you.."

Freya leaned in and kissed Matthias on the lips one last time, before kissing him on the forehead. Then, slowly and carefully, Freya closed his eyelids with her fingers. "My love... oh my love..." Freya swallowed hard. "Goodnight."

Dahlia stood at a distance, watching Freya say goodbye to Matthias from afar, a blank expression on her face.

 **Present Day, the Claire Tomb/Kol's Playhouse...**

"Why are you so fixated on this all of a sudden love?" Kol asked Davina, sounding slightly exasperated. The pair were standing a few feet away from the still restrained Eva, who watched them with a look of twisted amusement on her face.

"Just answer the question."

Kol sighed. "I don't know how many exactly. I lost count over the centuries," he admitted to a stunned Davina. "I was a _vampire_. Not just a vampire, an _original_. The bloodlust that comes with the immortality my mother gave me, it's indescribable Davina. I tried to fight it at first. Those first few years after becoming a vampire, I searched high and low for a cure. And I learned of one. But the cure came with a price. A price I wasn't willing to pay. So I chose to embrace what I became instead of hating myself like Finn."

Davina folded her arms, a conflicted look on her face. "Alright."

"But I'm a witch now. I'm no longer the man I was as a vampire. I've changed."

"Bollocks," Eva interrupted. "You may be in a mortal's body Kol Mikaelson. But you're still a vampire at heart. You are a witch in body alone. Speaking of which, I don't understand why him hijacking someone else's life doesn't bother you," Eva questioned, looking over to Davina. "You're dating the spirit of Kol Mikaelson, but the body of someone else, someone who has no idea."

Kol gritted his teeth, glaring at Eva.

 **Elijah's Loft...**

Elijah and Gia sat next to one another on a couch in the living area of Elijah's loft, both of them holding wine glasses filled with human blood. "So, any reason why you asked me to come see you at this hour?" Gia joked, taking a sip of blood from her glass.

"Let's just say it's been a rather trying day Gia. Niklaus and I met with my sister Freya today. She seems more level headed than I thought she would be, given the circumstances under which she grew up," Elijah noted.

"Do you trust her?"

Elijah shook his head. "Though I do believe her to be my blood, I can't trust that her intentions are as pure as what she claims them to be. She is still a stranger to me, whether she is my older sister or not. And to blindly trust a stranger is foolish."

"Fair enough," Gia replied.

"But unlike Niklaus I'm willing to give her a chance to earn my trust."

"That's good of you."

Elijah smiled at her. "Enough about me though. How was your day?"

Gia smirked. "Boring. Didn't really do a whole lot. Which is the kind of day I needed. I heard Josephine gave you and Marcel some trouble earlier, after I sent you that text telling you she was at Marcel's place."

"I appreciate the heads up you gave me. Indeed it seems the alliance we have with Josephine will remain an uneasy one," Elijah admitted. "Her loyalty is to the witches, and my loyalty is to my family. And unfortunately for us, some of my family happens to be inhabiting the bodies of witches. Some of which are missed, and others - not so much," Elijah finished, drinking some of the blood that was in his glass.

"I have to do what I can to help out. But I'm starting to realize you made me put on a dress and learn how to play a Beethoven song on short notice for nothing."

Elijah chuckled. "I do apologize for that."

"You knew she would like me, didn't you?"

Elijah smiled widely. "Once upon a time, Josephine was rather rebellious. This is a trait you seem to exhibit in spades. However, circumstances all but extinguished that quality in her, and had she known that you were coming, she never would have welcomed us into her home."

Gia looked impressed. "Your family would be so screwed without you."

"Niklaus especially."

The two of them laughed, Gia finished her glass of blood and putting the empty wine glass down on the table nearby. Though Elijah's glass still had some blood left in it, he put it down beside Gia's on the table. Awkwardly, Elijah moved in closer to Gia, only for Gia to stop him in his tracks. "Woah, what are you doing, Elijah?"

Elijah's cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry, I thought you-"

"I do," Gia interrupted. "I mean I would like to. You're a great guy Elijah.. But I know you still have a thing for Hayley. Or at least, I think you do, correct me if I'm wrong. And if you're going to kiss me, if we're going to – have a thing, I don't want to be your consolation prize. When you kiss me, I want you to want me. I'm sorry if I'm making this awkward-"

"No. Not at all. I understand."

"Had you made a move on me the night we got back from Josephine's," Gia smiled. "Would've been a different story. I did tell you you needed a girl to really mess you up."

"What changed?"

"Let's just say I had some time to think between now and then."

Elijah nodded. "While I do still ' _carry a torch'_ for Hayley, I believe one's love is not finite. That we can love more than one person, without it diminishing the love we may have for another. And Hayley's married now, happily I believe, it's not like anything is going to come of my feelings for her."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Hayley walked into the living room of the Mikaelson Compound, immediately noticing Freya's unconscious body laying on the couch while Klaus was standing around, waiting for her to awaken with a stoic look on his face. "What happened to her?" Hayley asked, approaching Klaus cautiously while eyeing the couch.

Klaus took a deep breathe in. "I gave into my impulses. Not the best decision I've ever made as you can see," Klaus stated, then noticing the look of concern on Hayley's face. "Relax love, she's immortal. Or at least she claimed to be. Oh have you two not met yet, Hayley this is my eldest sister Freya. Who currently is my unconscious sister Freya."

"I know a lot of people have told you this Klaus, but you have some serious issues to work through. You can't just go around snapping people's necks every time they piss you off."

"I beg to differ, I've been snapping necks for quite some time now."

Hayley frowned. "You're always incapicitating someone whenever they say something you don't like, it's like you think people are toys that just have this on and off switch."

Freya suddenly awoke with a gasp, startling Hayley, her body healing itself. Freya looked around the room, first staring at Hayley in confusion as she tried to figure out who she was, then looking over to Klaus. The last thing she remembered was him putting her hands around her head. He must've broke her neck. Quickly, Freya grew angry and frustrated. "You _dare_ lay your hands on me?" Freya asked, slowly sitting up.

"Just making sure you were telling the truth sister," Klaus replied nonchalantly.

Freya tried to catch her breathe. "Whose this girl?"

"I'm Hayley. The mother of this psychotic hybrid's child."

Klaus sneered while Hayley rolled her eyes. "Why must you continue to refuse me as your sister?"

"I have my reasons. Most of which have to do with a paranoia that's only heightened by my vampirism. Looking back at it, I can't understand why I invited you into my home in the first place."

Freya sighed, slipping off the couch and walking towards Klaus. "I didn't want to have to do this. But it seems you've left me with no choice," Freya said, placing her hands around Klaus' head, catching him off guard.

Hayley jumped a little, unsure what to do next.

 **Norway, Dahlia's Cottage, 1408 A.D.**

Inside her aunt's cottage, Freya quickly and desperately searched through dozens of bottles of potions, knowing Dahlia would be back any minute. Finally, Freya found one filled with a bright red liquid. She quickly took the lid off the bottle and dipped her head back, placing the bottle against her lips and drinking every last drop of the poisonous liquid it contained. She had only taken one big gulp of the poison when Dahlia appeared in the doorway of the cottage, a stunned look on her face as Freya turned aroumd, still holding the bottle in her right hand.

Freya swayed on her feet, struggling to stay upright as the poison made its way through her body. She could feel herself growing weaker by the second.

"I gave you _everything_!" Dahlia exclaimed, incredulous. "And you dare to take what is _rightfully mine_?"

Freya nodded. "Yes," she whispered, before suddenly collapsing on to the floor, no longer able to stay up on her own two feet. The bottle shattered as Freya dropped it, the remaining red liquid spilling out on to the floor. She smiled weakly at Dahlia as she closed her eyes, her breathing slowing until she ceased breathing altogether.

All Dahlia could do was stare at Freya as she died, both stunned and furious.

 **Hours later...**

Freya awakened with a gasp. Looking around, she realized she was in her bed inside the cottage, Dahlia sitting at her bedside. Her heart sank. She was still alive, and still Dahlia's slave. "How could this be?" Freya asked, catching her breathe. "How am I... alive?"

Dahlia sighed in relief. "The spell that sealed our magic sleep guards us from _all_ forms of harm," she replied, shaking her head. "I must admit, you did have me worried. That was my deadliest poison you ingested. But you knew that, didn't you?"

Freya slowly got to her feet, gaping at her aunt in horror. An expressionless look came on Dahlia's face. "But the spell... did not protect everyone. I'm sorry."

Freya's eyes widened. She gasped once more, knowing what Dahlia was referring to. She looked down at her belly in horror, immediately realizing that she'd lost the baby; her belly was no longer swollen from the pregnancy. Freya fell to her knees, breaking down and sobbing hysterically. "My baby!" she cried.

Dahlia came over to the other side of the bed and sat down next to her niece, taking her into her arms. She began to gently run her fingers through her hair, attempting to comfort the grieving Freya. "There, there. There, there," Dahlia lowered her voice to a soothing whisper as Freya laid the back of her head against Dahlia's chest. "I will forgive you for this, eventually. But you can _never_ forget – there is no escape from me. _Not. Even. Death._ "

 **Present Day, Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus blinked rapidly and Freya took her hands off of Klaus' head, both of them looking as if they were about to start crying any second, while Hayley continued to be silent through out the whole event. "Now you don't only know of my pain Niklaus, you've seen it! I lost my son, my child, because of Dahlia. He never had a chance. Not a day goes by that I don't regret taking the poison. But Dahlia would've given my baby the same life I had. I don't want that for anybody. Especially your child Niklaus," Freya spoke, allowing the tears to flow once more.

"You were pregnant?" Hayley asked.

Freya wiped the tears from her face with one hand. "Once. It was a long time ago."

"Perhaps breaking your neck was unnecessary," Klaus admitted. "And though I may believe this one story that you've just shown me... I will not be so foolish as to trust you so soon. Especially with the life of my child, _my daughter_. She is matters more to me than anyone else in this world. And I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

"Can you not then at least give me a chance to prove myself to you? To start, I haven't broken your neck in retaliation for breaking mine-"

Klaus scoffed. "You think you could snap my neck?"

"Very easily-"

"Can we not," Hayley interrupted. "Snap anymore necks tonight out of spite for one another."

Freya sighed. "Spoken like a true mother."

"Should you show even the slightest hint of betraying us sister, I will not hesitate to murder you. And believe me when I say I will find a way to do it in which you remain dead instead of waking up hours later, gasping for air," Klaus threatened.

"I believe you would have a fun time trying. But you don't have to worry. My loyalty is to family. In spite of the fact that I have yet to meet her, Hope is my niece, and unlike you, Niklaus, she's done nothing to wrong me. I don't want to see her end up in the arms of Dahlia. And without me at your side, I am certain you will fail in any attempt to protect her from her great aunt. With me, you stand a chance at killing her."

 _Author's Note: The final chapter of Episode 16. Next chapter will be the start of alternate episode 17. Like always, I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always appreciated. I know you're probably all still wondering what happened to Finn, since he woke up last chapter after Klaus snapped Freya's neck. All I can say is, you'll see over the next few chapters what Finn will be up to now that he's awake again. I will tease that Finn definitely won't be on the same page with Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol anytime soon, and he's questioning where Freya's loyalties lie and whose side she's really on._

 _Oh and as for the Haylijah fans reading this that aren't happy with the scene he had with Gia in this chapter, Elijah will have scenes with Hayley eventually, just right now he's avoiding her since she's married and all and he's not sure how to deal with that. That being said, much like we saw in the show, there is a love triangle that seems to be on the rise between Hayley/Elijah/Gia. And Hayley won't be appearing much over the next few chapters for my 2x17, (probably just getting mentioned here and there) because Dante 101 reminded me that her role in that episode is kinda pointless and just paints her in a bad light._


	13. If I Were Brave, Part 1

The Originals Alternate Season Two

Episode 17: If I Were Brave

Part One

 _ **The New World, a Viking Hut, sometime in the 10th Century...**_

 _A sixteen year old Finn sat down at a table by himself, sitting on a wooden chair, staring sadly at the flute on the table. A young Klaus came up from behind him, placing his hand on Finn's arm to grab his attention. Finn let out a sigh, reluctantly turning around to face Klaus._

" _What is it Niklaus?" Finn asked, sounding annoyed._

" _My necklace, where did you find it?" Klaus asked in return._

" _On the ground. Should've been more careful not to drop it."_

" _It fell off."_

" _Right. Well, do excuse me Niklaus, I wish to be alone right now," Finn replied, turning his back to Klaus, to Klaus' frustration._

" _Did you take my necklace on purpose Finn? If mother hadn't asked where it was, would you have given it back?"  
_

 _Finn rolled his eyes. "What reason would I have for taking your necklace Niklaus? I don't take things that don't belong to me. I found your necklace on the ground. And yes, I was going to give it back. I was just waiting for the right time."_

" _Why do you like to be alone so much Finn?"_

" _Because I do. Why must you ask so many questions Niklaus? Good children don't ask questions."_

 **The Present Day, the Bell Tower of the St. Louis Cathedral...**

Freya stood a few feet away from an incredulous Finn, trying to calm him down as best as she could. She knew when Klaus snapped her neck that the spell she cast on Finn that kept him unconscious would break. She knew that Finn would feel betrayed. She was just glad that he didn't start taking it out on the human citizens of New Orleans. "Finn, I understand why you're angry, but I only did what I had to do-"

Finn cut his older sister off, refusing to let her finish. "Do you have any idea what you did to me Freya? For nine hundred years, I was locked in a box by my younger siblings, unconscious. While a few days may not seem so bad in comparison.. what you did to me was no different than what they did. You put me on ice when I became a problem for you. Just like Niklaus. I thought I could trust you."

"You can Finn. Dahlia is coming for Niklaus' child, and if we don't ally ourselves with our siblings, we don't stand a chance in killing her-"

"I would love nothing more than to kill Dahlia! But not at the cost of my morals Freya. Our siblings are _monsters_. They will always be _monsters_. And I will not align myself with them under _any_ circumstances."

"Whatever you may think of our siblings, as horrible as they may have been to you, Dahlia is the greater evil."

Finn was only getting more angry with Freya, showing no signs of calming down. "You don't ally yourself with demons to take out the devil. It seems the sister I know, the sister I loved, died the day she was taken by Dahl-"

"You loved someone, didn't you?" Freya asked, interrupting Finn. Finn suddenly went silent, a mournful look on his face. He slowly nodded. "When you were daggered, you were separated from your lover. Her name was Sage, wasn't it? The woman whose name you mentioned when I brought you back to life."

"...Yes. Her name was Sage. She was the first and only woman I ever loved," Finn replied sadly. "When we meet, she was still human. I let my love for her cloud my judgment... I _turned_ her. Condemned her to spend life as a vampire. So that I would never have to say goodbye to her."

"And when the dagger was finally removen from your heart.."

Finn swallowed, tears starting to form in his eyes. "She _waited_ for me. For nine hundred years, she waited, knowing one day I would be free again. We were reunited not long after I was undaggered. And not long after that... she died."

"I'm so sorry Finn. I know what it's like to lose someone you gave your heart to... Was it Niklaus that killed her?"

"No. She died because someone plunged a white oak stake into my heart and killed me as a vampire. When an original vampire dies, every vampire they turned dies with them. I lingered on the Other Side for what seemed like ages before Esther raised me, watching our siblings as they killed innocent people," Finn managed to hold his tears back. "So believe me when I say our siblings are monsters that are incapable of redemption. Condemn their behaviour, and I will stand by your side and help you end Dahlia's life.. but if you ally yourself with our siblings, the vampires... I will be forced to see you as my enemy. I will see you as the sister I lost long ago no longer."

"We stand no chance against Dahlia just the two of us. She will kill you brother, before you can breathe."

"Then at least we die with a clear conscience."

Freya paused. "I will not throw away the life I've barely lived so foolishly! Not when the woman who took away everything I loved lives to see another day."

Finn stared at Freya in disbelief. "Then you've made your choice. You choose to side with those who stored me in a box for centuries on end for no other reason than to be a cruel. You _choose_ to side with those who murder innocent people, who enslave others... you're no better than them now."

"Finn-" Freya started, but Finn turned around and started walking towards the door. "Finn!" Freya shounted, and reluctantly, Finn turned back to look at her. "I am not only your sister, but your elder, and you will show me more respect. Now I have to run an errand. It's urgent. But when I get back, I'd like to finish this conversation. Please, give me a chance to make you understand. That's all I want from you."

"There is nothing more you can say to me Freya. I understand you perfectly. And I know where you stand now."

"No, you don't. Finn, I am still your older sister. The only older sister you'll ever have. Does that mean anything to you?"

"...Yes."

"Then give your big sister another chance to explain herself. And don't go anywhere until I get back, I don't want you to leave the Bell Tower, lest you encounter one of your enemies and I'm not there to save you. Give me your word you won't leave until I get back."

Finn bit his lower lip. "You have my word, Freya."

 **Eva's Mind Space/Warehouse...**

Eva was skulking around the inside of a warehouse, searching for Rebekah, knowing she was inside here somewhere. The warehouse was dimly lit, sharp instruments scattered everywhere, with a couple of dried blood stains on the floor here and there. "REBEKAH MIKAELSON!" Eva called furiously.

Rebekah now looking no older than the age of six, was hiding in a dark corner behind some machinery, terrified. She was suppose to be back in her own body, an original vampire again, but it seemed all Kol's spell did was allow Eva to regain permanent control of her own body while her soul would remain dormant inside. She let out a whimper, her heart racing. Eva had control here, and Rebekah was nothing but a powerless prisoner. Quickly, Rebekah got to her feet and ran, looking for another place to hide. It was only a matter of time before Eva found her.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME _FOREVER_!" Eva exclaimed.

Rebekah continued to run as fast as she could. Suddenly, she found herself running right into Eva, who swiftly grabbed her by the wrists, holding the young Rebekah in place even as she fought desperately to free herself. Eva shook her violently. "This is _my_ house!"

Rebekah screamed at the top of her lungs.

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's "Playhouse"...**

Eva remained on the chair that Kol and Davina forced her on, the cursed shackles still around her wrists. Currently, she was asleep, torturing Rebekah's soul in her mind place while Kol and Davina spoke with Freya.

Freya was wearing a brown satchel, full of the supplies she needed to lift Kol's hex from his vessel's body. "It's as simple as this Kol. Once I spill a few drops of Vincent Griffith's blood in the center of the pentagram, I'll recite an incantation, and then all you need to do is," Freya paused, a nervous expression on her face. "Make physical contact with the one who hexed you. That one being Finn, since he is currently possessing Mr. Griffith. It's nothing to worry about, fairly straight forward."

"Especially since Vincent has been rendered unconscious for the forseeable future," Kol added.

Freya grew increasingly nervous. "Niklaus – he broke my neck, earlier today," Freya said, Kol's eyes widening. "The spell I used to keep Finn asleep broke when my neck did. He's awake Kol."

"Why didn't you just _recast_ the spell then?" Davina asked. "Put him back into a mystical coma."

"Finn was already crossed with me for putting him to sleep the first time. Keep in mind Niklaus did something very similar to Finn when he kept that dagger in his heart for nine hundred years. Rendering him unconscious everytime I have a problem concerning him... it's certainly not the wisest course of action."

"Nik would beg to differ," Kol joked.

"I love Finn. I've waited to be reunited with him for a thousand years. But in those thousand years we've spent apart, Finn's grown unstable, as have we all to some extent. If I put him back to sleep just after he awoke.. when I finally do go to wake him up, he would be furious with me. Not that he's not furious now. But right now he can still be reasoned with, I still stand a chance at recruiting him to our cause-"

"You are talking about Finn Freya," Kol warned. "He loathes his little brothers and sister. Shortly after he got undaggered for the first time in nine hundred years, he joined our mother in a plot to kill us, offering himself up as a sacrificial lamb for the slaughter. He tried to kill _our_ niece, who's just not even a bloody year old yet, he would have killed _me_ if not for Davina. Finn is far past reasoning with. Best thing you can do for him, is kill him and end his wretched existence-"

"He is still _my_ brother Kol and I will not give up on him so easily. I have to believe that that sweet little boy I knew is still in there somewhere. Elijah still searches for Niklaus' redemption even when he shows no signs of ever changing."

Kol sighed. "I bring you back to the fact that he hexed me to die! ...If I encounter Finn, and he's not on your leash, sister, I will not pass up an opportunity for revenge."

"You will if you want help getting rid of your hex. But by all means, if you're happy living in somebody else's body for the rest of their life until they die, go for it," Freya responded in a warning tone. "I'm sorry he hexed you brother. No one deserves to have their own blood betray them like that. Subdue him if need be, protect yourself please, but don't kill him. That's all I ask of you Kol."

"Fine then. Let's get this hex breaking show on the road, shall we?"

Davina eyed Freya carefully, feeling the tension between her and Kol rising over the matter of what to do with Finn. She watched as Freya opened her satchel, taking out a vial filled with blood first and handing it to Kol. Next, she took out a jar of ashes, leaned over and placed it on the floor of the crypt. Finally, she took out five black candles and placed them beside the jar.

Kol and Davina stood off to the side, Kol still holding the vial of Vincent's blood in one hand, while Freya opened up the jar filled with ashes, reaching in and scooping up a handful. Using the ashes, Freya made a small pentagram on the floor of the crypt. Once she was done making the pentagram, she placed one of the candles at each point of the pentagram. Freya then lifted her head up and gestured to Kol to come closer. Kol got down on his knees on the floor near the pentagram, passing Freya the vial containing Vincent's blood. "I'm guessing you must've took the blood from Finn while he was out cold?" Kol asked.

Freya nodded. Carefully, Freya took the lid of the vial and spilled a couple of drops of blood in the centre of the pentagram. Next, Freya waved her hand over the pentagram, saying the word "Ignis," as she did, which Kol recognized as the latin word for fire. Suddenly, all five candles lit up at the same time, to Kol's amusement.

"Wait!" Davina interrupted, catching both Freya and Kol's attention. "How can we be so sure that this'll work? Kol's been studying magic for a thousand years, and he's said he's never come across a cure for a hex before."

"My lover, Matthias, fell victim to a hex back in the early 1400s, thanks to my aunt Dahlia. The hex he died of was not all that different than the one Kol's suffering from right now. I never wanted to lose anyone I loved to a hex ever again," Freya paused. "So I studied hexes back in the 1800s, and I found a way to break a hex. I've tested it before, back when I was awake in 1914. It'll work Davina."

Freya offered her hand to Kol. "We'll need to hold hands while I recite the incantation for the ritual to work."

Awkwardly, Kol got up from where he was sitting, walking over to Freya's side and reluctantly taking her hand while he sat back down. Davina couldn't imagine why Kol was so uncomfortable at the thought of taking Freya's hand.

With that, Freya began chanting an incantation in a language that Kol recognized as Norwegian. While he was skeptical of Freya to say the least, he was convinced that Freya was the only one who could help get rid of his hex and living out a brief life inside Kaleb's body was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt a sudden surge of power flow through his body as Freya continued to chant. Eventually, the ashes forming the pentagram and connecting the five candles erupted in flames.

Freya stopped chanting. The candle flames, and the fiery pentagram faded, becoming nothing more than smoke and a grease spot on the floor of the tomb, the candles half melted. Kol felt the power leave him as Freya took her hand back. "Now all you need to do is make physical contact with one Vincent Griffith. Meaning I'm going to ask you to come back to St. Louis' Cathedral with me, so I can supervise the two of you while you take the last step in breaking your hex. Don't take off Davina's necklace until you do, it's the only thing keeping you alive right now."

"Then who'll watch the child murdering psycho over here while we're gone?" Davina asked.

Kol got to his feet. "Afraid I'm going to have to ask you to babysit her again while we're gone. I'll be back soon though. I give you my word."

Davina sighed, hating the thought of spending any more time with Eva. Kol walked over to Davina, grabbing her face with both hands, leaning over and kissing her passionately on the lips. The kiss was brief, ending with Kol slowly pulling away from Davina. "If Eva wakes up while we're gone, you have my permission to silence her however you see fit. Just don't kill her."

"I know."

"My sister's soul is still inside there somewhere. And we'll focus on getting her back and killing Eva as soon as this sodding hex is broken."

 _Author's Note: Here's the latest chapter of my story. Admittedly, I struggled to write the flashback I wrote below, hence why it was brief, but I really wanted to do it and I did the best I could._

 _I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I guess that's all I have to say. Well maybe not all I have to say. I like reading reviews, and I welcome both praise and criticism. But if you're going to criticize, all I ask is that it's constructive and that you're respectful about it, other than that, by all means, write a critique. My feelings won't be hurt if someone says "ahh I hate your story now because you did this". I'm telling the story I want to tell, and I hope the people who have read every chapter so far continue to read, because my story is far from over and I have a lot of plans for it. I hope my readers are interested to see where I take the story and don't get too hung up on the romance aspect along the way. As long as I have a few people that are reading and satisfied with the story thus far, and as long as I'm satisfied with the story I've told thus far, I'm not going to get upset about someone else being unhappy about it. After all, there's plenty of other TO fanfics out there, and if there's one you want to see that hasn't been written yet, write it. That is all.  
_


	14. If I Were Brave, Part 2

The Originals Season Two

If I Were Brave

Part Two

 **The Bell Tower of the St. Louis Cathedral...**

"I made him give me his word not to leave before I got back," Freya insisted. "While I knew this was a possibility, I was hoping he would stay put... Can't imagine where he's headed off to at this hour. He might very well have left the city by now."

Kol was trying to remain as calm as he could, given the fact that the brother who once tried to murder him could now be anywhere, doing god knows what. "Well your first mistake was believing a bloody word Finn said. Man's not only a murderer, but a liar. Fortunately I think we still have enough of Vincent's blood to cast a locator spell."

"You're not going to tell Klaus he's awake are you?" Freya asked.

Kol paused. "Can't exactly keep it a secret from him. Freya, I know Finn was your baby brother a thousand years ago, and I know you love him. But he is a threat to everyone around him. Take it from someone who knew him a lot longer than you did. You're either with him, or against him. And right now he must think you're against him. Either that or you're plotting with him against your younger siblings, myself included and right now I'm being played for a fool."

"Are you accusing me of betraying our family Kol? If I was plotting against you with Finn, why would I be trying to help break your hex? Why would I have gone to the trouble of finding a woman's corpse to burn to get the ash needed to help you? I spent a thousand years waiting to be a part of this family again, I have no ulterior motive other than wanting to slay Dahlia."

Kol gave Freya a skeptical look. "How do I know that spell was going to work? All rather convenient that in order for the spell to work I would have to make physical contact with Finn, who just happens to not be in the Cathedral _you said_ he would be at."

"I can't exactly keep an eye on Finn all hours of the da-"

"Which is why he has to be put down!" Kol interrupted, a frustrated expression on his face. "Our family will never be whole. Finn and I, will never be on the same side. You're either with him, or you're with Nik, Bekah, Elijah, Hope and myself... Freya, let me tell you as someone who tried playing more than one side many times, it never works out well for anyone. For your own sake, pick a side. And pray that it's not the losing one."

"My brother is my brother. I will come to his aid until he draws his last breathe. But you're just as much my brother as he is, and so is Elijah... and Klaus, as infuriating as he can be. I won't side against any of you."

Kol closed his eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh. "We're wasting time. Let's just cast that damn locator spell and decide what to do with dear old Finn later."

"Alright. But there's something you should know before we go any further. The spell that I cast to help rid you of your hex, right now it stands incomplete, but you now that. What you don't know is, if Vincent Griffith's body dies before you make physical contact with him to break your hex... you'll die with him."

Kol stared at Freya for more than a minute without saying a word, speechless. "Looks like we got more than one problem on our hands then."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was currently sitting on the couch in the living room of the Mikaelson Compound while Elijah and Marcel were standing around, Elijah with one hand in his pant pocket while Marcel had his arms folded. "So our only hope of saving Rebekah.. lies in the older sister you just met. The sister who also tried to help Finn kill your daughter?" Marcel asked in a confused tone.

"It's quite a bit more complicated than that Marcellus," Elijah replied.

"Probably is," Marcel admitted. "Just one more question, where is Rebekah right now, or Eva Sinclair, or whoever happens to be inhabiting that body-"

"In the custody of Kol and Davina," Klaus finished. "They have her in the cursed shackles that keep a witch from doing magic from what I understand. Somewhere in a steampunk crypt in Lafayette Cemetery."

Marcel gave Klaus a look of disbelief. "You trust Kol with keeping Rebekah safe? The lunatic who compelled himself a twisted Shakespearean play and forced my ten year old self to watch?"

"Not one of his more finer moments," Klaus replied with a slightly amused look on his face. "But then he did pay for that with a dagger to the heart."

"He's also responsible for Rebekah being in the mess that she's in right now. He thought it was only a harmless prank to put Rebekah in another body and let's not forget it wasn't even him that rescued her from the Fauline Cottage after he sent her there deliberately."

"Kol would never kill Rebekah," Elijah interjected. "Your grudge towards our younger brother is understandable Marcellus. But like it or not, out of everyone in our family, Kol has always been closer to Rebekah than anyone else. I think it may have something to do with how close in age they both are. I trust him to keep her spirit safe."

Klaus slid off the couch and got to his feet. "Besides, Kol only has Eva Sinclair for the remainder of the night. We have arrangements to transfer her to the Compound when morning comes, providing everything goes according to plan. Now the real reason I have summoned you here, Marcellus, at this hour of the night is because I need someone to keep an eye on the girl in question, our older sister Freya."

"You want me to spy on her for you?"

"Not you specifically. Perhaps a couple of your vampire minions since Hayley is hesitant about putting the lives of innocent werewolves in danger, especially after Mikael murdered someone who apparently was friends with her husband Jackson. Truth be told I'd rather not put your life in danger either."

Marcel smirked. "Just the life of my guys."

Klaus frowned. "When our Aunt Dahlia comes here looking for Hope it'll spell trouble for us all. According to Freya, Dahlia will _not_ hesitate to kill anyone who stands in her path. Unfortunately we can't trust Freya. Do not forget Marcellus if I die, _so do you and every vampire you've ever turned_. You could potentially save more vampire lives in the long run if you do as I ask."

Marcel looked at Elijah, who nodded in agreement with Klaus, to his frustration. "Everywhere the Mikaelsons go, you leave a trail of bodies behind. And you wonder why you have to force others to be loyal to you."

Before Klaus could respond, his cellphone began to ring. Reluctantly, Klaus reached into his pant pocket, taking out his cellphone and answering the call. "...Kol, what is it you have to tell me that can't wait until morning?"

"Long story short Nik, when you snapped Freya's neck you woke up Finn," Kol started, Klaus' eyes widening at the mention of Finn's name. "He got loose and now he's out for blood. Freya and I did a locator spell, we have a rough idea where he is right now... but before I tell you, there's something else you need to know first."

"What could be a more pressing matter than the location of our _homicidal_ older brother?" Klaus asked in an incredulous tone. Elijah and Marcel quickly became alarmed, knowing Klaus was referring to Finn.

"...Freya and I were in the middle of doing a spell to break my hex. But the spell's only partially complete. I need to make physical contact with Finn to be in the clear, and if you kill him before I do, I'll die with him."

Klaus sighed. "This is why we don't make alliances with people we barely know, even if they are family... I believe we still have those other pair of cursed shackles lying around that render a witch powerless. Restraining him shouldn't be too hard."

"Freya's on her way to the location. She's agreed to cast another sleeping spell. We just need you to contain him in the meantime."

"Right, because making Finn unconscious has worked _so_ well in the past," Klaus replied sarcastically, frowning slightly. "Elijah and I will be on our way. Give me the location Kol, I'm getting rather impatient."

 **Cami's Apartment...**

Cami was currently in her bedroom, laying down on her bed and stretching out her arms. She was also intoxicated thanks to the time she spent drinking heavily with Marcel. All she'd wanted was a temporary escape from her problems, from her reality. For some reason she found herself thinking of what Finn told her, when she demanded to know why he and his twisted mother chose to make her a human vessel for Rebekah. Finn claimed she was perfect because she wasn't close with anyone, no family left and no one who would notice any sudden changes in personality. He wasn't wrong either, the only people she was kind of close to were Klaus and Marcel.

Before Sean and Kieran died, she had them. She was close with both of them, her and Sean shared a bond that only other twin siblings alike could understand. At one point she had a mother and father too. But none of that mattered anymore. Any family she had was either dead or walked out of her life a long time ago and would likely never come back.

Suddenly, the closed door to Cami's bedroom flung open, Finn standing behind the doorway, holding up two fingers, a furious look on his face. "Hello Cami. I was wondering when I would get the chance to see you again," Finn said, eyeing Cami carefully, waiting for her to start screaming for help at any moment.

However, Cami didn't seem nearly as frightened as what Finn expected. Instead she appeared somewhat confused. She stopped laying down and sat up on her bed. She couldn't help but wonder whether she was dreaming or not. She didn't think she was. But she knew that didn't mean anything. "Klaus told me you were taken out of the picture."

"I was," Finn replied angrily. "For a brief time. You see my sister Freya turned her back on me, she sided with our vampire siblings who _loathe_ me. She cast a sleeping spell on me, put me in some kind of stasis. I had no idea when she was going to wake me up, or if she was even going to wake me up _at all_. It wasn't enough that I had to lose my mother. No, the world decided to reunite me with the sister I spent a thousand years mourning, only for her to turn her back on me as well."

"Somehow that's not all that surprising."

"Everyone I've ever loved has turned their back on me. My mother, my father, my siblings. There was only one person who was ever loyal to me, who never hurt me. But she's gone now.. Long gone... Because love was something I was never meant to have. What did I do to deserve being placed in a world that didn't want me in it?" Finn asked, his anger slowly turning into sadness. "Even you betrayed me, Cami, one of the more _compassionate_ people I've met in my life... why? What did I do to wrong you?"

"Well... you betrayed my trust. Told me you were someone you weren't. Stalked me. Put people I cared about in danger. Even tried to take my own body away from me."

"I didn't want to do any of that Cami! I took orders from my mother blindly, because I believed in everything I thought she did. That it was a mistake to create the vampire race, that all vampires needed to die. _I still believe that_. My whole reason for wanting to return to the world of the living after being staked as a vampire is because I wanted to aid my mother in fixing the mistake she made a thousand years ago. But looking back at it... I should have never come back. I should have let myself be sucked into oblivion, because this new life, I don't want it anymore. I don't want to live in a world where I am hated and alone," Finn vented, beginning to tear up. "Where I am an outcast, forced to live amongst beasts who dare call themselves humans. I want to continue to fight, do the right thing by ending the _monsters_ my mother created... but I'm just so _tired_... I'm tired Cami."

Cami stared at Finn, still just as confused as she was when Finn first broke in. This wasn't a side to Finn she was use to seeing. She was waiting for him to physically attack, to try and kill her. "Last time we met, if I remember correctly," Cami started. "You were threatening me for siding with your enemies."

"I was. I meant every word I said at the time. I mean it now. You may be the most beautiful woman in New Orleans Camille. But we are still on opposite sides in a war. You're a vampire sympathizer, something I can not understand, but I have no desire to. I had hoped that you would see the error of your ways, but you never did and never will."

"The error of _my ways_? You're the one who hexed his own brother to die and tried to kill his infant niece."

Finn gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I did what I had to in the name of the greater good, in the name of nature," Finn stated, stepping through the doorway and into Cami's bedroom. Cami's heart started to race, but she knew there was no way she could escape him. Trying to run past him would be pointless. "Something you would know nothing about.

"Finn what are you going to do?"

"Remember when you accused me of wanting to use your body to house the spirit of my mother? You told me you would rather die than be possessed by Esther," Finn replied, walking closer and closer towards Cami, taking his time. He no longer had a sad look on his face, rather his sadness had been replaced with a lust for vengeance. "You helped my siblings torture me Cami. And for that, you must pay."

Cami, now terrified, slipped off her bed, wanting to try and desperately run past Finn despite all odds, only to trip, falling hard, face first on to the floor.

Finn knelt down, turning Cami over so she could face him. Cami fought Finn as she did, and Finn grabbed her by the wrists roughly, restraining her hands. "It's a shame things had to end this way between us Cami. But this way, you'll help be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem," Finn stated, looking into Cami's eyes, which were filled with pure fear. Finn began to recite a chant, speaking in a language Cami didn't recognize.

Despite her struggling, Finn overpowered her, and Cami was forced to accept the reality of the situation. Within moments, she passed out, her eyes closing. Finn stopped chanting, confident that the spell had worked. He quickly released his tight grip on Cami's wrists, a sudden look of regret on his face. He tried so hard to hate Cami after she betrayed him. How he wished he could hate her. But even now, there was some small part of him that was telling him he shouldn't have harmed her. A small part of him that believed Cami was an innocent, caught in the crossfire. He slowly and gently touched Cami's cheek with the back of one hand, using the other to wipe away the traces of tears on his face. It was only a matter of time before Esther's spirit awakened inside Cami's body.

"Get, away, from her, _now_ ," a voice ordered that Finn immediately recognized as Klaus'.

 _Author's Note: Well, here's the latest chapter. I feel like this chapter is so much different than the past chapters I've written, so people are probably either going to love it or hate it._ _Don't be afraid to let me know what you thought of it in the review section._


	15. If I Were Brave, Part 3

Episode 17: If I Were Brave

Part 3

 _ **The New World, The Forest just outside of the Mystic Falls village, 980 A.D.**_

 _A young Finn stood behind Mikael, watching as his father took aim at a deer with a bow and arrow. His father never missed his target, not once. Though Finn hated to see him kill innocent wildlife, he knew it's what he had to do to not only keep himself alive, but keep his family alive. Men were primarily hunters, Finn had to remember that, sympathy towards his prey would only serve to make him weak._

 _Suddenly, Mikael fired the arrow, the arrow landing in the deer's chest, wounding it. He grinned. "Another satisfying kill," he stated gleefully. He turned around to look back at Finn, lowering his bow to his side. His smile turned to a frown when he saw the nervousness in Finn's eyes. "Do not tell me you are afraid, Finn. You have no need to be. The deer will be dead within moments. Now I want you to go over to the deer and pull the arrow out for me."_

 _Still nervous, Finn walked past Mikael, approaching the wounded deer. He knelt over and stared into the deer's eyes, watching as the life slowly slipped away from them. Reluctantly, Finn reached over and quickly pulled the arrow out of the deer._

" _Is something wrong, Finn?" Mikael asked impatiently._

" _No. Nothing's wrong Father," Finn replied nervously, getting to his feet, still watching the deer as it breathed its last breathe._

" _Everything that breathes must die some day Finn. That deer would have died on its own one day had someone not killed it. Death cannot be evaded. At least this way its life's end serves a purpose. To be food for our family."_

 _Finn paused for a moment when he heard the word died. "You will tell him Freya grew ill and died!" The words his Aunt Dahlia said when she took Freya away replayed in his head. His mother did exactly that, she lied to him and said that Freya died instead of telling him the truth; Dahlia took her and still had her somewhere. "Like Freya died," Finn said blankly, wondering for a minute what would happen if he told his father the truth of what happened to their beloved Freya._

 _Mikael became overwhelmed with feelings of grief and anger almost immediately upon Finn mentioning his daughter's name, grabbing Finn roughly by the shoulders, his nostrils flaring. "YOU WILL NOT SPEAK HER NAME!" Mikael bellowed._

 _Finn was terrified, staring up fearfully into his father's cold dark eyes, his heart pounding against his chest._

 **The Present Day, Cami's Apartment...**

"What did you do to her, Finn?!" Klaus demanded. Finn lifted his head and looked up at Klaus, noticing Marcel standing behind him, holding the cursed shackles that they once used to hold him prisoner inside the compound. He knew it was only a matter of time before they tracked him down. But it didn't matter now; though he hated the idea of being held prisoner yet again, he accomplished everything he needed to, he succeeded in punishing both Cami and Klaus while removing his mother's spirit from the body of Lenore Shaw.

"Cami's body is now a host for our mother's spirit," Finn replied, to Klaus' horror. "I thought it only fitting considering she betrayed me and allied herself with you, Niklaus, failing to understand that all I wanted was to protect people like _her_ by killing people like _you_."

Klaus' heart sank, his jaw dropping. He was scared for Cami the moment he saw her lying on the ground, and he was even more scared for her now that her body had been taken over by his mother of all people. His mother who didn't care one bit about Cami or her safety.

"Bring _her_ back. Expel mother's spirit before she awakens, put her back in the body of Lenore before she awakens," Klaus pleaded. "And I will consider sparing your miserable life."

"You forget Niklaus, I will happily sacrifice my life for the cause. Now more than ever... I'm afraid Cami won't be regaining control of her body anytime soon," Finn replied, staring Klaus in the eye, enjoying watching his little brother suffer at his hands.

"Cami is innocent in all of this! Leave her out of your _holy war_ brother!"

Finn slowly got to his feet, fuming. "She's hardly what I'd call innocent. But clearly you didn't listen when I said she betrayed me. I won't go into details because most of them you already know. You know Freya hates our mother. I wonder if she'll be so inclined to move her spirit to another body before she unleashes her wrath upon her," Finn taunted.

Klaus, using his vampire speed, moved in front of Finn and roughly picked him up by the neck with one hand, lifting him into the air. Finn gasped, grabbing on to Klaus' hand with his hands, trying to pry them off in vain.

"Klaus don't, you need him alive," Marcel warned.

Cami's eyes suddenly opened, blinking rapidly. Klaus dropped Finn, allowing him to fall to the floor. He rushed over to Cami's side while Marcel tended to Finn. Kneeling over, Klaus helped Cami up slowly and carefully, appearing as though he were in denial over what Finn had just said to him, that her body belonged to his mother now. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Cami, Camille is that you?" Klaus asked in return, holding Cami's hands with his, staring into her eyes with a look of misplaced hope on his face.

"No. It is I, Niklaus. Your mother. I suppose I know whose body I'm in now."

"...No, no, no," Klaus said in denial, dropping Esther's hands. He shook his head, trying to think clearly instead of allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. "Well don't get use to the new body mother. I'll see to it that you'll be out of it soon enough."

 **The Claire Tomb...**

Eva yawned as she awoke, attempting to stretch her arms, only for the shackles to restrain her movement, making her physically uncomfortable. She sighed, glaring at the shackles, then over at Davina, who was looking back at her with a nervous expression on her face. "I trust I didn't sleep long," Eva joked. "I see your knight in shining armor has once again left your side, leaving you to babysit the lunatic."

Davina was silent, once again refusing to respond to anything that came out of Eva's mouth, which only served to amuse her. "Would you like to know what I was doing while I was asleep? I was going inside my mind and torturing _poor_ Rebekah, such a screamer that one," Eva taunted, Davina turning as white as a sheet, hoping that all Eva was doing was trying to get a rise out of her. "She's a resilient one that Rebekah. Unlike others I've made my victim. Must come with being an original vampire and evading death for the last thousand years give or take."

"...Why do you did this? H-how could you do this, you go after children Eva. You have to be a special kind of monster to do that," Davina started, breaking her silence.

"I enjoy harming those who've harmed me," Eva replied. "Though most of the people I've harmed were innocents, what with being children and all. It's not that I like harming children Davina, it's that I _have_ to. The first child I took, the first... I harmed, was a little over two years ago. Her name was Amelie Dupree from Algiers. Most witches in New Orleans who came across me, even before I started taking children, never liked me. I practised the wildest of magicks, and not everyone can appreciate that. But I liked the witches of this city. They're powerful, even if a lot of them are unpleasant, stuck up sods."

"What do you mean you _have_ to?"

Eva sighed. "I don't expect you to understand. But here it is. The Rite of Nines. There are a total nine witch covens in New Orleans Davina, what I hoped to do, was take a witch from each coven, and using sacrificial magic, take their power for my own. Once the Rite of Nines was complete, there would be a new witch order in the Big Easy. I would be far more powerful than any Elder, any Harvest girl.. I would become the new leader of the witches in this city. And as leader, I could ensure that our kind would never live in fear of the vampires again, as the witches in this city seem to. We would be a true force to be reckoned with, we would be able to force the vampires out of all of Louisiana if we wanted to... But alas, my husband did not approve."

"Why did it have to be kids? There are plenty of asinine adults in this city who also happen to be witches."

Eva rolled her eyes. "Their magic is untapped. It's _pure_. I thought you would know that. That and they're easy to subdue, much more so than adults.. Now where was I? Ah yes, Vince. I was waiting for the right time to tell him, to let him in on my plan. But until then I was keeping it to myself, and it was working thanks to a few powerful cloaking spells. But then, one day, thanks to a fluke, my Vince caught me. And he wasn't understanding. No, he was very judgmental. When he confronted me, I pleaded with him. God how I begged him to look the other way. I wasn't asking him to help, I just didn't want him to interfere with things he didn't understand! Once I completed the Rite of Nines, everything would be different.

"I didn't get the chance to complete the Rite of Nines though. Shortly after Vince found out, he turned me over to Josephine LaRue, ratting me out... his mistake. With me locked away in the Fauline Cottage he would never learn where those missing children were that I was channeling, that I was going to sacrifice for the Rite of Nines. To this day, I'm the only one who knows where they are. Currently everyone just assumes them to be dead. They don't understand that they can't die until the time is right."

"Where are they?!" Davina demanded, stepping closer to Eva, drawn into the witch's story.

Eva laughed like a mad woman. "I'm not going to tell you. You won't be able to hold me down forever. And when I'm free I'm going to finish what I started. I already have eight," Eva revealed, a terrified look rising in Davina's eyes. "Now I just need one more. Fortunately, I won't have to look very far for number nine. You, my dear little Harvest girl, are the last one I will channel to complete the Rite of Nines."

Davina gulped nervously. "Your threats are empty – there is no way you're getting out of those shackles without anyone helping you."

Eva smirked. "You seem rather confident about that, and as of right now I haven't found a way out, no. But, if you would happen to release me, and give yourself over willingly to my cause, you might find it a very profitable alliance."

"In what way would allowing myself to be sacrificed for somebody else's cause a second time benefit me?!" Davina asked Eva incredulously. "For you to finish this Rite of Nines ritual, I have to die, along with eight other children."

"It's for the greater good of the witches in this city. That and I would be forever in your debt. I could secure you a new body so you wouldn't be dying really, ensure that no further harm come to Rebekah's spirit, I'll even hand her soul over to you lot willingly should you decide to help me."

"I won't. You're insane Eva, and honestly, I don't trust a word of what you've just said. People like you, all you care about is power and how to get more of it. You're no different than the witches that sacrificed me and my friends."

"My friends and _I_ ," Eva corrected in a humorous manner, to Davina's annoyance.

 **Outside the Apartment Building, New Orleans at night...  
**

Klaus, Marcel, Finn and Esther came out of the double doors of Cami's apartment building, Klaus keeping a close eye on his mother while Marcel guided Finn, who was now restrained with the cursed shackles, preventing him from doing any magic. He found it odd that Finn gave himself over and allowed himself to be shackled without much of a fight, but at the same time, he wasn't going to complain about it.

Waiting for the four of them just outside the apartment building was Elijah, Freya and Kol, standing together, Freya's arms folded, an angry look on her face. As soon as she spotted Finn, she stormed over to him and smacked him roughly across the face, startling Marcel and Esther, tears forming in her eyes. "How _dare_ you break your word to me brother! You could have died tonight, you might well have had we not insisted that Niklaus spare your life."

"Settle sister," Klaus said calmly. "I'm afraid we have new problem on our hands, that your dear brother here created."

Freya gave Finn a look of unamusement, a little tired of the damage her brother was causing, preventing them from focusing on the real issue at hand; Dahlia's inevitable arrival. "What happened?"

Klaus gestured over to Cami. "Your brother decided it would be a _brilliant_ idea to stick the spirit of our mother inside the body of a good friend of mine, Cami. I want her out immediately and sent back to the body of Lenore Shaw, which I assume you would know where it is."

Elijah looked alarmed, while Esther looked confused. "You called her sister. Is this Rebekah's new body?" Esther asked.

Freya was steaming, looking over to Esther, her eyes widening. "No, mother. It's me, your other daughter. Your _first born_ has found her way back home," Freya replied bitterly. "I don't imagine you expected to ever see me again, after Dahlia came for me. And yes, we have Lenore's body back at the Bell Tower of the St. Louis Cathedral Niklaus."

"...Freya?"

Freya didn't respond, overwhelmed with too much emotion upon seeing her mother again for the first time in a thousand years.

"Let's get everyone back to the compound, sort this mess out there," Elijah suggested. "In the meantime I do ask that we all resist any urge we may have to kill someone within proximity. While you may bear a grudge against our mother Freya, and justifably so, she is inhabiting the body of someone who Niklaus and I both have come to consider a friend."

Finn exchanged a glance with Kol, surprised to see that his younger brother, whom he had hexed to die, was still breathing, and still inhabiting the same body. Hell, he didn't even look a little sickly. He wasn't happy about this, but then, Kol didn't seem exactly happy to see Finn either. In fact, he was giving his brother a murderous look, not unlike the look Freya was giving Esther, to Klaus' concern. Klaus would do everything in his power to prevent any harm coming to Cami's body until she regained control of it and Esther's spirit was sent elsewhere.

"Freya, step aside please," Kol said as he held Finn's gaze, Freya moving aside, allowing Kol to get to Finn. Both Finn and Esther looked confused as Kol approached him, quickly putting his hands on Finn's face. "Thought I was dead, didn't you brother? Fortunately Davina and your loving sister here saved my life. Last thing I needed to do to get rid of your curse, was to make physical contact. And now I have."

Suddenly, Kol's eyes began to glow a blinding, emerald green, and Kol dipped his head back, looking up into the night sky. Elijah took a step back while Klaus grabbed a hold of his mother's left arm.

The glowing ceased within moments, and Kol trembled, the hex fading from his body all at once.

 _Author's Note: So this was the latest chapter of my story, and one of the chapters I happened to enjoy writing more. To those of you who may be concerned that one day I'll just stop writing this story altogether without giving it a proper conclusion, I'm determined to finish this story, even if by the last chapter only like three people are reading. I hope everyone liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it._


	16. If I Were Brave, Part 4

Episode 17: If I Were Brave

Part 4

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus sat at the head of the table in the dining area of the compound, his mother sitting to his left, his brother Elijah seated to the right of him. Sitting next to Elijah was a shackled Finn, and sitting next to Finn, was Freya. On the opposite side of the table, next to Esther, was Kol, who was continuing to exchange murderous glances with his brother Finn in spite of having finally broken the hex his brother placed on him.

"Where is Rebekah?" Esther asked, looking over to Klaus.

Klaus cleared his throat. "I'm afraid, our dear sister is currently trapped inside the body of a wicked witch named Eva Sinclair. You see she was possessing her body, and somehow she managed to lose control and Eva managed to regain it."

Esther looked both stunned and concerned by this revelation. "I can help."

Finn sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, while Klaus and Kol's interests were peaked. "And why would you do that mother?" Klaus asked curiously.

"Rebekah is my daughter."

"So was _I_ ," Freya countered bitterly. "The only reason why you're offering to help is because you don't want to be sent back to that vampire's body that Finn pulled you out of. You're hoping to earn a bit of good faith amongst your children by helping one of them."

Esther avoided looking Freya directly in the eye. "I know what you must think of me Freya. After everything... but in spite of what you may think, I love my children. I love all of you."

"Your actions say otherwise," Kol added.

"While I too am skeptical of whatever affection you claim to feel for us, mother, I am interested to know what you have to suggest for saving Rebekah's soul. Freya claims to know a spell that would put Rebekah back in her original body, but at the cost of Miss Sinclair's life," Elijah elabourated.

"I'm familiar with such a spell," Esther admitted. "But the spell I was thinking of would involve going directly inside the mind space of Rebekah's vessel, and destroying the consciousness of Eva Sinclair. Rebekah would be allowed to stay inside this woman's body then for as long as she like without the threat of losing control over it in the future."

"That does sound like a better option where Rebekah is concerned," Klaus noted.

Freya looked nervous for a moment. "I am all for giving our sister the life she wants, or the life she chooses, but I'm afraid that isn't an option. Dahlia is coming for your child Niklaus, when she arrives, it would be better for all of us to have another original vampire ally. Rebekah is stronger as a vampire than as a witch, you know that."

Esther looked visibly overwhelmed with shock and horror at the mention of her sister's name. " _Your child?_ "

Klaus paused. "I suppose it would be difficult to keep up on current events whilst rotting by a tomb, being used as a magical battery by your loving son," Klaus said, Finn sneering. "My child is alive, Dahlia is coming for her. I would like to have Rebekah back in her own body before Dahlia arrives, and I would like you, mother, out of Camille's. Oh and while we're at it, I would like Finn to have no body and sucked into oblivion so I would no longer have to deal with his abhorred soul and _tiresome rants_ about how he was treated unfairly."

Esther, Freya and Finn glared at Klaus while Kol seemed to be in silent agreement with what he'd just said. "You only kept me daggered for so long because Elijah told you shortly before we crossed paths with those hunters that I was planning to track down our father, and beg him to end my vampire life and you couldn't have me exposing your lie to the rest of the group – that it was you, Niklaus, who killed our mother a thousand years ago and _not_ Mikael. A lie that secured the loyalty of the rest of our siblings," Finn stated, opening his mouth for the first time since they arrived at the compound.

"We all loathed and feared father long before Niklaus told us that he killed our mother," Elijah corrected.

"Even if we knew way back then that Nik had killed mother, our father was still a more wicked beast than our brother ever was," Kol pointed out. "He didn't exactly want his children by his side either I might add."

Freya looked confused at both Elijah and Kol, pondering what they had just said about her father. They spoke of him without even the slightest hint of affection. They all hated him, and she was the only one who cared for him. Not even Finn seemed to have any affection left for their father, which disturbed her most of all considering Finn use to adore their father from what she remembered, and now he saw him as monster. That being said as far as she could tell all there was to Finn now was hatred and bitterness.

"Well as much as I enjoy the company of all my siblings," Klaus said with a sarcastic tone. "I would like a moment alone with our mother before Marcel arrives with Eva Sinclair. I'm not leaving Rebekah trapped inside the body of that witch for another night."

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's Playhouse...**

"I just want to transfer her to the Mikaelson compound, Rebekah's their family, and with every witch ally they have at their disposal, they'll figure a way out to put her back in her original body and sort this whole mess out," Marcel explained calmly, to a skeptical Davina. "Nothing's going to go wrong."

Eva, meanwhile, was sitting back on the chair she was bound to, rolling her eyes, looking particularly irritable now that Marcel, a vampire, was in the room.

"Marcel, you didn't hear what she told me. She said that these kids she took, the ones that went missing, are still alive somewhere. She's channeling them so she can sacrifice them at just the right time. I want to get the location of these kids out of her before we hand over to Klaus. Do you honestly think they would care about saving a few witch kids who mean nothing to them?"

Marcel started to look a little nervous. "I'll make sure they get it out of her before they take a chance in killing her."

"They'll torture her, and she's magically linked to these kids, whatever they do to her, happens to them," Davina warned. "Every bruise, every cut they give her, they give to eight innocent children."

"She is right you know," Eva interrupted, grabbing Marcel and Davina's attention. "Harming little old me means harming every child I'm connected to. It's for a ritual I want to preform called the Rite of Nines. I would explain it to you, but I've already explained it to Davina not too long ago and I do hate to repeat myself. I assure you all eight of those missing children are still alive... for now. They won't be once I add another child to my collection. Number nine. Then I can begin my ritual, and for the ritual to work, all nine of those children have to die so I may claim their magic for my own."

"Well sadly for you, you'll never get to complete this ritual of yours," Marcel replied confidently.

Eva smirked. "Vampires. I've never met one I've liked, or even tolerated for that matter. May have something to do with the fact that a vampire killed my father while my mother was still pregnant with me. Maybe if he lived, she wouldn't have went and hanged herself a few years later, when I had just turned three," Eva remarked, to Davina and Marcel's surprise.

"Look I'm not interested in some sob story that you've strung together to get us to feel pity for you. There is _nothing_ that justifies the actions of someone who hurts an innocent kid."

Eva turned her head to the side, throwing Marcel a look. "Really? Nothing you say? Because after losing my parents, you know who I ended up in the care of? A neglectful grandfather who I only bonded with when he was teaching me the art of sacrificial magic. The old man hated me because I reminded him of the daughter who disappointed him at every opportunity, _my_ mother. I spent my _whole childhood_ being weak," Eva said bitterly. "I never wanted to be weak again. And now I'm not. You seem to think you've won, that you've got me beat. You're all fools. You may have pushed me into a corner, but I will find a way to free myself and when I do, you'll all see just how powerful I really am. You'll know what it feels to be just as weak as I was."

Marcel turned back to look Davina in the eye. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this psychopath any longer Dee. I'm going to take her back to the compound, and we're going to deal with her there. In the mean time, go and get some sleep, try not to worry about those missing kids she's channeling. We'll find them before we put Eva down for good."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Esther were now alone in the dining room of the Mikaelson Compound, a part of him struggling to look at his mother in the body of Camille. He never wanted Cami to get mixed up in his family drama, and now she was in the thick of it, her spirit unconscious inside her own body because Finn was angry with her, and angry with him.

"Why did you want to be alone with me Niklaus?" Esther asked calmly, standing by the chair she was once sitting in while Klaus was still seated.

"Because once we save Rebekah, we'll work on expelling your spirit from Cami's body, and once you're out of Cami, I do plan to send you back to whatever hell you escaped from. But before I end your life for another time, I have some questions for you, not that I think you'll answer honestly."

"I have one for you first. Why did you kill Ansel? He was your father, your true father, he loved you! He was one of the greatest men I've ever known. What could he have done to wrong you? You knew when you killed him that he could never be brought back. The collapsing of the Other Side makes resurrection nearly impossible."

A pained look came across Klaus' face as he remembered the night he killed his biological father. "He knew where Hope was," Klaus replied, getting up out of his chair to be face to face with his mother. "He told me as much, had I allowed him to live you would have used his knowledge against me, seeking out my child again so that may you kill her. After all, you made attempts on her life in the past. It's because of you that she had to spend the first months of her life away from her parents."

Esther's heart sank, her jaw lowering. "I did not want to harm your child Niklaus, but if Dahlia came for her, she would kill anyone who got in her way of trying to claim your child for herself... The pain of having her take my first born child, Freya, never left me. It pains me to this day and I did not want that for you."

Klaus smirked. "How touching. You wanted to kill my child to spare me the pain of losing a child. Am I the only one who sees the irony in that? You claim to care for me, yet you sent Mikael after me not long before we turned you into a vampire, knowing full well he wanted to kill me!"

"When you presented your father's body to me in such a manner, after killing him for what I thought was no reason other than to spite me, I believed you to be incapable of redemption. I knew you would never take my offer after that. So I was willing to put your life on the line to save the souls of your siblings, Rebekah and Elijah, who would never accept my offer as long as you remained an original vampire."

"And now? Now that you know the reason that I killed Ansel, does that change anything in your eyes mother?"

Esther paused. "You will do anything to protect your daughter. Had I not posed a threat to her life, perhaps Ansel would still be alive... During the brief time in which I was a vampire, I came to appreciate what you and your siblings had to go through each and every day after I turned you, the bloodlust you experienced, the heightened emotion. Being a vampire was worse than I could have ever imagined."

"It amuses me that you've come to that conclusion after spending such a short time as a vampire."

"That _short time_ gave me a new perspective. Had I left you all to live a mortal life, instead of making you into the abominations that I did.. every murder you've ever committed, every life your siblings has ever took, or Mikael for that matter, it's all my fault. Had I left you human, you would have lived a far better life."

Klaus turned his head, giving his mother a sarcastic smile. "We would have burned bright for a while, and then burnt out. Do recall that we lived near a pack of wolves that had already killed one of us," Klaus pointed out, causing Esther to frown. "You see, you think of turning us as your greatest sin, but the truth is, it's the _only_ one of your many faults I've come to forgive. I happen to prefer us as we are. Immortal. Life everlasting."

"Niklaus, there's something you should know before you leave this conversation," Esther warned as Klaus started to turn away from her. "When I knew Freya, she had a light about her that put a smile on the hardest man I had ever known. But the light I once saw in my beautiful daughter is gone. While she may have been my daughter for five years, she was Dahlia's student for a thousand. She is not to be trusted."

"Problem is, mother, I have to trust one of you if I expect to save Rebekah. And right now, I'm not sure which one of you I trust less."

 **The Living Room in the Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya sat down next to a shackled Finn on the couch inside the living room of the compound while Kol sat by the bar, enjoying a drink, and Elijah standing around, looking particularly anxious. "I can't understand why we left Niklaus alone with our mother, or what he could possibly want with her," Finn commented.

"I can't understand why we haven't killed you yet, considering you've tried to kill all of us at least once, with the exception of our eldest sister," Kol added snarkily.

"Because I'm not letting anyone kill our brother, regardless of how much damaged he's caused," Freya replied, looking over to Finn, who looked back at her blankly. "He's still our brother. Family shouldn't kill family," she stated, briefly thinking about Esther and how much of a hypocrite she herself might turn out to be if she was ever left alone with the woman who claimed to be her loving mother.

"Hear that Finn?" Kol asked bitterly.

Finn smirked. "I don't regret anything I've done to you Kol, or you Elijah. You both had a chance to save your souls, and you both failed to do so. The blood you've shed over a thousand years is truly incredible. Why should I apologize for trying to do the world a favour by killing you?"

Kol put his drink down at the bar, getting up off his stool, only for Elijah to use his vampire speed to come to Kol's side and restrain him. "He's not worth it Kol," Elijah insisted.

Freya smacked Finn upside the head. Finn groaned. "I'm trying to keep you alive brother, the least you could do is resist further upsetting those who already have more than enough reasons to want you dead."

 **The Dining Room of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Marcel entered into the dining room of the compound, escorting Eva Sinclair in, still shackled, who had the most murderous expression on her face. Klaus grinned while Esther took a deep breathe in, eyeing Eva nervously.

"Greetings, Eva Sinclair. I was hoping you would arrive soon. You see, Eva, you have something that belongs to this family, or someone rather, and we would like her back. Whether that be at the cost of your life or not," Klaus said gleefully.

 _Author's Note: I would've completed this chapter sooner, but my day to day life has been rather unpredictable as of late. Anyhow, I appreciate every review written so far, and everyone who has favourited and followed this story. I'm especially glad that some of you prefer my story as to the story that played out on screen, I didn't imagine this story to turn out as well as it has so far. Lastly, credit to Dante 101 for giving me the idea for why Finn was daggered as long as he was because he was planning to seek out Mikael.  
_


	17. If I Were Brave, Part 5

Episode 17: If I Were Brave

Part Five

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

"Eva, make yourself at home," Klaus grinned, pulling out a chair at the dining room table, gesturing to Eva to come closer. Marcel showed her to her seat and sat her down, Eva slamming her hands roughly against the table with her shackles, amusing Klaus and unnerving Esther.

"Klaus, before you go any further, those eight children that went missing, that Eva took, somehow they're still alive. I can't explain it but Davina told me. She also said that Eva's channelling these children and she's linked herself to all of them. Whatever you do to her, happens to them," Marcel warned.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Of course. Add one more item to our growing list of concerns."

Esther looked over at Eva cautiously, standing by the opposite side of the table. "Fortunately the spell that I talked about that would allow you to go inside the mind space of this body, wouldn't involve harming any of those children. But if you go with Freya's spell, they will certainly die along with Eva."

"What spell is she talking about?" Marcel asked.

"My mother claims she knows a spell that would allow us to travel inside of Eva and destroy her consciousness, allowing my sister to take over her body again full time without fear of losing control again in the future," Klaus explained. "Rebekah would be alone in that body from now on, free to choose a mortal life or an immortal life."

A sudden look of panic and fear came across Eva's face. "You would destroy me without hesitation? For no other reason than that your sister chose my body to inhabit?" Eva asked desperately, looking over to Esther pleadingly. "You, I can tell you're not a vampire like these two. You don't have to do as they say."

"She's leaving out the part where she's just as much a murderer like the rest of us, she just has a fetish for the young ones, the innocent," Klaus added, putting a hand on Eva's shoulder.

"And Rebekah never chose to possess you," Marcel jumped in. "But I'm glad it's your body she ended up in and not someone I'd actually feel sorry for."

Eva smirked, her panic fading. "Would you still be saying that if you knew what I've done to Rebekah? I may not be able to kill her spirit, but I can still inflict unimaginable pain upon her, and I've enjoyed myself while doing it."

Marcel was fuming, barely able to restrain himself, while Klaus reacted by grabbing Eva by her hair forcefully, pulling her head back a little. "You do best to keep your mouth shut _little girl_ , because Rebekah happens to mean more to me then the lives of eight strangers. Do keep that in mind."

Klaus turned his head to look at Marcel, slowly letting go of Eva's hair. "I'm not trusting my mother for a minute, but then I don't Freya anymore than I do her. But with my mother in the body of a mortal I can compel her to tell the truth. We're going with my mother's spell, and we're going to go inside the mind of Eva Sinclair. Go to the living area and tell my siblings to come to the dining room, we have a sister to save."

 _ **Somewhere Outside a Viking Hut, 977 A.D.**_

 _A young Finn stood outside the hut in his home village next to his father Mikael, concerned for his mother, whose screams and groans he could hear coming from inside the hut. "Are you sure mother's okay?" Finn asked his father quietly._

" _She's giving birth Finn. The pain that comes with childbirth is **horrendous** from what I have been told, and what I have seen with my own eyes. But your mother has given birth before and lived to tell the tale, she will be fine. Your mother is one of the strongest women I have ever known," Mikael said stoically, not even looking at Finn as he spoke._

 _Finn went quiet. All he really cared about was his mother's wellbeing, he wasn't interested in having a little brother. He felt he had all the siblings he needed in Freya, even though a part of him was confident that he would never see her again, that didn't stop him from hoping for some sort of miracle. His mother told him that the baby's name was to be Elijah. It was a good name, he was willing to admit that, but it didn't change anything. He couldn't imagine caring for Elijah as much as he did Freya._

 _The screaming ceased briefly, and then Finn heard someone crying; the baby. He forced a small smile on his face, then looked up at his father, who still appeared to have an indifferent expression on his face._

 _The witch Ayana stepped outside of the hut, a warm smile on her face. She looked to Mikael first. "Would you like to meet your new son?" Ayana asked._

" _Are they both alright? Will they survive?" Mikael asked in return impatiently._

 _Ayana nodded. "Yes, they will be alright."_

 _Finn noticed a small look of relief come across his father's face. "I think I'll let Finn meet his brother first then," he replied, gesturing over to him._

 _Ayana knelt over a little to Finn, offering her hand. Reluctantly, Finn took it, and Ayana guided him into the hut, where he saw his mother laying on a bed made for her, smiling widely at the newborn infant she was cradling in her arms._

 **The Present Day, Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus, Esther, Elijah, Kol, Freya, and Marcel were all gathered in the dining room of the Mikaelson compound, Eva still shackled and seated at the table while a shackled Finn stood next to Freya, who was staring intensely at Eva with a look of familiarity in his eyes.

Eva moved her head, taking everyone in the room in, only to stop at Finn, recognizing him as well. "Vince. You're here. Why am I not surprised?" Eva remarked.

"I'm afraid Vincent no longer controls this body," Finn replied. "My name is Finn. Finn Mikaelson."

Eva rolled her eyes. "Of course. Another witch in New Orleans taken over by the spirit of a Mikaelson. Are you Rebekah's brother? Kind of awkward that you would choose to put the spirits of siblings inside the bodies of a married couple," Eva mused.

Finn quickly became uncomfortable. "We actually had a different body picked out for Rebekah. It was Kol who decided to put our sister's soul in your body as some sort of a prank."

"Aren't I the lucky one? Suppose I should be thanking you lot though. Had Rebekah never inhabited my body I may never have escaped that dreaded cottage," Eva grinned.

"Pleasantries aside, let's see this spell that our mother speaks of," Freya jumped in, exchanging glances with her mother. "If such a spell even exists."

"It's not exactly beyond the limitations of magic sister," Kol added. "The spell our mother speaks of involves breaching Eva's mind, I've heard of such things being done before. But a spell like that would require the use of a powerful witch or two."

Freya quickly grew anxious. She listened intently as her mother explained exactly what the spell would consist of, the ingredients needed, and the potential consequences that came with it, growing increasingly anxious as her mother went on. Meanwhile, Finn and Eva continued to stare at one another. It was as if Finn could somehow feel the strong emotions that Vincent once had for Eva, and it was affecting him in a way he didn't expect it to.

"I can't possibly do this. Like Kol said, such a spell requires a powerful witch-"

Kol interrupted Freya. "Which you are. That's not an opinion sister. I even seem to recall you telling me that you were the most powerful witch I've ever come across. Quite a claim I might add."

"I know what I said. But that power needs to be anchored, or I'll be lost inside Eva's mindspace, along with Rebekah. Unlike our mother's magic, mine isn't anchored to any one place."

Kol looked over to Klaus. "Nik. Freya, you can use Nik as your anchor, channel his power while you breach Eva's mind. Let him be your anchor."

Klaus looked back at Kol incredulously, then at Freya suspiciously. "Niklaus, if you agree to this, she will have complete access to your mind, she'll even be able to see into your past and present. She will see the darkest corners of your soul," Esther warned.

"It's not exactly the worst thing in the world mother, we all know Nik isn't exactly a saint, surely even Freya's figured that out by now," Kol pointed out. "We need to save Rebekah."

"I will not volunteer my mind to a stranger, one who for all we know may end up turning over everything she knows to Dahlia. We'll find another way to save our sister, rest assured. How about that spell that would involve killing dear Eva and putting Rebekah's soul back in her original body?" Klaus offered.

Marcel frowned. "Klaus, you would be killing eight innocent children by doing that. The witches of this city would hate you forever once they found out. Especially Josephine."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I will happily endure their hatred to save my sister's soul and I will happily sacrifice the lives of strangers to save my blood."

"I'll be the anchor," Elijah interrupted, all eyes turning to him.

"Brother, I think _not_ ," Klaus said in a stern tone.

" _Brother_ , I think so. Nothing will stop me from trying to save our sister. And unlike you, Niklaus, I have _nothing_ to hide," Elijah replied, earning a scowl from Klaus.

"I will not allow you to be so foolish Elijah, as to trust the sister we barely know with every inch of your mind!"

Letting out a sigh, Freya held out her arm and flicked her wrist. A loud snapping sound was heard by everyone in the room, causing Esther to jump a little, as Klaus' eyes suddenly closed, his unconscious body collapsing on to the dining room floor. Marcel, Kol and Elijah both looked stunned and confused, while Finn and Eva looked somewhat satisfied by the snapping of Klaus' neck.

"We should head to Lafayette Cemetery, before he wakes up. I don't care to be interrupted while doing magic," Freya stated firmly, a slightly nervous expression on her face. She didn't want to break Klaus' neck, it would only give Klaus more reason to be wary of her. But she felt bad enough about leaving Rebekah in Eva's body as it was, considering it was her fault that Rebekah was in this mess in the first place. She would worry about fixing her situation with Klaus later. Rebekah was her priority right now. Who knows just how much damage Eva had done to Rebekah's soul by now.

 **Lafayette Cemetery, an Unknown Tomb...**

In the centre of the tomb was a large magic triangle made of salt and various herbs. At each of the three points were tall, lit white candles. Freya, Kol, Elijah, Marcel and a still shackled Finn stood outside the triangle, Marcel carrying an unconscious Eva in his arms. She no longer had her shackles on, unlike Finn, Freya having cast the same sleeping spell on Eva she once used on her brother to keep him unconscious for as long as she wanted, only for the spell to break when Klaus snapped her neck.

"Lay her inside the salt, and lie on either side of her. Each of you take her hand," Freya instructed, before turning to Elijah. "I will act as a bridge to her mind, but I am trusting you to anchor me Elijah."

Elijah nodded. "Do what you need to do. And we'll do what we need to do to save our sister."

Marcel laid Eva down in the middle of the triangle, Kol walking along side him, only to turn back to Freya once Eva was laying still on the tomb floor, waiting for her next instruction. "Do be careful. Rebekah is buried deep and Eva will not give her up without a fight. And if she kills you inside her mind space, you will be lost forever," Freya warned, watching the colour drain out of Kol's face as he was reminded of this fact. "And if you kill Eva before you save Rebekah, then Rebekah will be lost to us forever. Save Rebekah first. Then and only then can Eva be dealt with safely."

Kol took a deep breathe, looked over at Marcel, then at Freya. "I think we got it," Kol replied, though still clearly worried about his own safety by hopping into Eva's mind. He didn't care for the risk they were taking but he wasn't prepared to lose Rebekah either.

Marcel laid down next to Eva on her right, taking her hand. Reluctantly, Kol laid down next to Eva on her left, reaching for her hand and gripping it tight. Freya entered into the triangle and knelt down beside Kol, to his confusion. She pulled a knife out of her boot and held it out to Kol, waiting for him to take it.

"You're going to need a weapon if you expect to kill Eva, brother," Freya explained.

"How am I suppose to take it with me? I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to spiritually invading someone's mind space through using magic, but I'm certain you can't take objects with you," Kol replied.

Freya tried to give her little brother a reassuring smile. She clutched the knife and began to chant a latin incantation, to Kol's curiosity. When the chanting stopped, she gave Kol another look, this one more apologetic in nature. "I'm sorry Kol, but this... is going to hurt," Freya said before quickly and swiftly, stabbing Kol in the arm. Kol grunted in pain, biting his lower lip.

Suddenly, both Marcel and Kol became unconscious simultaneously, their eyes closing. Freya sighed, looking at Kol with concern before standing upright, walking over to Elijah, while Finn watched his siblings from the side. He wasn't even going to bother trying to escape if both Freya and Elijah were rendered unconscious. A part of him had given up in fighting his siblings, getting enough satisfaction in the small victories he had already won against them.

Elijah offered his hand to Freya, extending his arm out toward her. He was cautious when it came to trusting her just like Klaus, but he didn't see there being any other option when it came to saving Rebekah without harming innocent children who they would work on finding later. She took his hand and they each grabbed the other's elbow, gripping it tightly. Freya gave him a nod and Elijah nodded in return.

As Freya began to chant the incantation that would allow her to use Elijah as her anchor, she found herself overwhelmed with the enormous power that was beginning to flow through her, her back arching as her head threw itself backwards. It was all part of the spell, Elijah knew that, but that didn't stop him from grabbing on to her, using his vampire strength to keep her upright and on her feet.

Freya's eyes blinked rapidly as several of Elijah's memories crept into her mind, showing themselves to her without her having any say in the matter. She looked on in horror as she saw a young Elijah forced to watch Mikael beat a child Klaus mercilessly, all because he missed a dear with his bow and arrow. Then she caught a glimpse of her brother stopping Rebekah from killing their father in his sleep. After that was the time in which Mikael drove a sword through his heart without hesitation in order to make him and their siblings into the first vampires. Next, she saw Elijah and Mikael dressed in what appeared to be clothing from the early 20th century, Elijah defending Klaus' actions, only for Mikael to suddenly turn violent, taking out a white oak stake and attempting to destroy his son right then and there.

 _Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I have a feeling some of you will be questioning the purpose of the Elijah being born flashback. I'm not sure there is any purpose other than the idea hit me and I ran with it. So, that out of the way, you may have noticed I don't reply to Dante 101's reviews (well thought out reviews I might add that ask questions that I didn't think of) through my author's notes anymore._ _ _There will be a bit more romance in later chapters (like Josh and Aiden, etc.) just this episode I'm focusing on the family._ The reason for this being that I respond to them through PM. If anyone else wants me to respond to their reviews through PM, all you have to do is let me know, and I will be happy to do so, otherwise I'm a little hesitant to do it because I worry about bugging people, part of what comes with being a somewhat socially anxious person. Oh and lastly Dante 101 gave me the idea this chapter to have Freya witness some the abuse Mikael inflicted on Elijah by seeing into his mind. _


	18. If I Were Brave, Part 6

If I Were Brave

Part Five

 **The Warehouse District/Eva's Mind Space...**

Kol and Marcel awakened in Eva's mind-space, Marcel quickly searching the room they were now in with his eyes, which he immediately noticed looked identical to a warehouse in New Orleans. He also noticed that while he and Kol were laying on the floor, Eva was not. He had no idea where Eva was.

Kol groaned in pain before yanking the knife out that Freya stabbed into his arm, the blade now stained with his own blood, to his annoyance. He also noticed something different about the way his body looked. The clothes were the same clothes he was wearing before getting projected into Eva's mind, but something was different.

Marcel turned his head and looked over to Kol, a little startled at what he saw. Kol didn't look like the man he was possessing any longer; he looked like his original body, just wearing the clothes that Kaleb was wearing when they got sent into Eva's mind.

Then he heard a little girl scream. _Rebekah._

Kol watched as Marcel got to his feet and used his vampire speed to run towards wherever the scream was coming from, leaving him seemingly alone somewhere in the darkly lit warehouse that was Eva's mind, clutching his injured arm and struggling to stand upright to go after him. He had to admit he was a little terrified, Eva could be anywhere in the warehouse, and now she wasn't shackled. But he was wounded. And if Eva killed him here, he was gone for good. If Eva killed his sister here, _she_ was gone for good. He wasn't as worried about Marcel though. Come to think of it hell would freeze over before he cared about Marcel. But whether he liked it or not he needed to work alongside Marcel if he expected to get him and Rebekah out of here, soul intact.

"Marcel!" Kol shouted, walking in the general direction that he saw Marcel ran in.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus opened his eyes, his head pounding and his neck aching. He felt groggy, broken and humiliated. He knew it was Freya that snapped his neck, she did tell him that she had the power to do it. Slowly, he sat up, frowning at the sight of his mother standing next to him, knowing she was still inhabiting Cami's body. He put his hand on the back of his neck, letting out a groan. His body sure was taking it's time to heal itself. No doubt because of Freya's magic. He was now really starting to believe that she was as powerful as she (and others) claimed herself to be.

"There's no point in trying to leave here," Esther started, grabbing Klaus' attention. "Before she left, Freya placed a boundary spell on this dining room. I'm afraid we're trapped here until your sister says otherwise."

Klaus was fuming, his nostrils flaring. He got to his feet and looked around to see who else was in the dining room. But it was just him and his mother. In spite of what Esther had just said, Klaus attempted to dart out of the room using his vampire speed, only to be halted by an invisible forcefield. She wasn't lying. He was stuck in a room with his psychotic mother while Freya was off somewhere with his siblings and his surrogate son, Elijah spilling all of his mind's secrets to her. He didn't understand why his older brother was so willing to share with Freya either. Did Elijah really have no skeletons in his closet? Nothing he was afraid of someone else learning, especially someone who was little more than a stranger to them?

Elijah's nobility, morality, never ceased to annoy Klaus. He had managed to preserve it to some extent after becoming a vampire, while the rest of their siblings, Klaus included, had changed into entirely different creatures. It was truly infuriating.

"You took longer to heal than what I would've expected," Esther noted.

"Rub it in why don't you? She must really loathe me to break my neck and leave me trapped in a room with you," Klaus replied coldly. "Also I believe I compelled you to tell the truth, not state the bloody obvious."

Esther rolled her eyes. "Do you not see Niklaus that any ill feelings toward you had nothing to do with why she broke your neck? Mark my words, your sister is hiding something. I'm confident that she was the witch who brought Eva Sinclair's consciousness to the surface and put Rebekah's soul in jeopardy. She seemed quite determined to have your sister back in her original vampire body when I heard her spoke at the table. Perhaps she wanted to create a situation in which she would be forced back into a life as a vampire. As for why she trapped us here, she didn't want you interfering with whatever she has planned with your siblings."

Klaus paused, considering his mother's words. She was saying what he had already suspected, though being a paranoid person he was willing to accuse anyone of anything, and maybe all his wicked mother was doing was simply feeding that paranoia. Still, it all made perfect sense to him. Freya had the motive and the means. Esther could very well be right.

 **The Warehouse District/Eva's Mind-Space...**

Marcel was still running around the warehouse, searching desperately for Rebekah. The lights began to blink rapidly and the floor beneath him shook for a few minutes, nearly knocking him off his feet. Eva wasn't going to give up so soon, he expected that, it also didn't help that she knew what they were planning, and knew that if she killed them first, she would get to live. Well, her consciousness at least.

Then Marcel heard the faint sound of a hyperventilating little girl. He spotted a small closet and immediately rushed over towards it, the sound of Rebekah breathing becoming clearer and clearer the closer he got. He opened up the double doors of the wooden closet, only to see a blonde little girl curled up in fear, which he knew just by looking at her, was Rebekah. Eva controlled everything inside her mind and somehow she was able to turn Rebekah into a child and forced Kol to appear as his true self.

Rebekah gasped when the doors to the closet were opened, fearing that it was Eva Sinclair, only to be both surprised and relieved when she saw Marcel crouched over in front of. "Rebekah?" he asked, checking to make sure it was her. Rebekah didn't waste any time, getting out of the closet and running into Marcel's arms.

Marcel hugged Rebekah tight, relieved that she was okay. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe now," Marcel whispered softly into her ear.

"How touching. Two star-crossed vampire lovers reuniting inside the mind of yours truly," Eva taunted, Marcel turning his head back, seeing her standing a few feet away from them, a truly crazed look on her face. "But then, I make the rules here. This is _my world_ you're in, Marcel! And as I've already said, I _don't_ care for leeches. It'll be my pleasure to do away with the once vampire king of New Orleans."

Marcel turned back to Rebekah, only saying one word, "run."

With that, the young Rebekah darted off in the opposite direction while Marcel stayed behind, prepared to confront Eva. "Well, show me what you got Sinclair," Marcel said, staring down Eva without showing the slightest hint of fear in his eyes.

"Gladly," Eva replied with a smile on her face. She stared at him intensely, and within minutes, Marcel was doubling over in pain, clutching his chest and moaning.

She walked closer towards him, grabbing him by the head and forcing his face upwards, so he could look her in the eyes. "When you ruled over the city with an iron fist, you claimed to the witches you could see everything. I don't think you'll be seeing much of anything anymore," Eva scowled, lifting her thumbs over his eyes and pressing down hard, ignoring him as he screamed out in pain, dark red blood trickling down from his eyes. She didn't want to kill him just yet. She wanted him to truly suffer first, taking pleasure in hurting him like the sadist she was. "I'm the one who says who. Dies. _Here._ I hold the power. Not _you_ , not _Kol_ , not _REBEKAH_!"

Eva thrusted her thumbs in deeper into Marcel's eyes, grinning wickedly while she did so.

 **Elsewhere in the Warehouse/Eva's Mind Space...**

Rebekah was continuing to run away from Marcel and Eva when she spotted Kol in the distance, holding a knife in his right hand, looking exactly like he did before he died as a vampire; he looked like her older brother again.

Kol stared at the little girl running towards him, recognizing her as a younger Rebekah. Eva was definitely playing havoc with how they looked inside her mind. Nevertheless, he was relieved to see his little sister still in one piece, and he began to run towards her as well.

Rebekah leaped into her older brother's arms as he knelt down to meet her, catching her and dropping the knife to the floor. "Bekah," Kol said softly as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight for a minute before he let her go. "We have the means to kill Eva once and for all," Kol continued, gesturing to the knife on the floor of the warehouse. "All we need is to shove the blade through where her heart would be. Then she'll be gone forever and this body will be all yours."

"She has Marcel," Rebekah said in a worried tone, Kol spotting the fear in her eyes.

"Let's-" Kol started, only to be interrupted by the entire warehouse violently shaking. Marcel and Rebekah would've attributed that to Eva, thinking that it was her causing the tremors in her mind space, but Kol knew better. Kol knew the tremors were indicating something else entirely. They were indicating that Freya's magic was growing unstable. Having Elijah as her anchor wasn't enough. If they didn't act quickly he would risk losing Rebekah, and possibly himself inside Eva's mind forever.

"Follow my lead sister," Kol ordered, picking up the knife and handing it to Rebekah, a somewhat confident look in his eyes. "This witch bitch is going down."

 **The Warehouse District/Eva's Mind-Space...**

Eva finally removed her thumbs from Marcel's bloody eye sockets, having crushed his eyes as best she could. She then lifted her leg and kicked him square in the chest, knocking him on to the floor. "I just want you to know Marcel, I'm having a great time," Eva mocked, staring down at the weakened Marcel lying beneath her, not even trying to fight back. To her, Marcel represented every vampire she every crossed paths with, the vampire that killed her father, and the vampire that tried to steal her own body from her. She couldn't describe with words just how much she hated the undead, blood sucking fiends. "Your kind just comes and takes whatever they want. I'm doing the world a favour by killing you."

Marcel only responded with a moan. "I may have tried to sacrifice children to achieve my goals, but no one seems to understand, what I was trying to do, would have helped everyone in the long run. Well, except the vampires. I would see to it that you would be run out of all of New Orleans, maybe all of Louisiana even," Eva went on, as if she was trying to justify her actions to herself, reasoning that what she did was all for some kind of greater good.

"You know what, you're distracting me from whom I'm really after. I'm going to end you now so I can go look for my favourite Mikaelson siblings."

"I'm afraid we've found you first darling."

Eva recognized the voice as Kol's, coming from behind her. Before she could turn her head, she felt a sharp object enter through her back.

Kol watched as the young Rebekah drove the knife into Eva's back, a stone cold look on her face as she did so. It had been a while since he saw Rebekah's colder side, but he wasn't surprised to see it come out under these circumstances. Eva did torture her after all.

Once she was sure she hit her where it counted, Rebekah quickly pulled the knife out, Eva gasping for air and collapsing on to the blinded Marcel, blood still running down from his crushed eyes.

" _ **Nooo!"**_

 **Lafayette Cemetery, Unknown Tomb...**

Kol and Marcel awoke with a gasp, Marcel having sustained the injuries Eva dealt to him in her mind space, his body struggling to heal itself. Kol sat upright immediately, checking the pulse of Eva's body to see if she was still alive. As soon as he felt a trace of life, he let out a sigh of relief.

An exhausted and overwhelmed Freya broke away from Elijah, glad to see that the spell hadn't fallen apart too soon, and everyone seemed to be still alive. Now all she was waiting for was Rebekah to awaken inside Eva's body.

"Come on Bekah, I know you're in there," Kol urged, holding Rebekah's hand tight, waiting for her to wake up at any minute. They had to have succeeded in killing Eva, he watched his sister end her himself with his own eyes.

Suddenly, Rebekah's eyes opened, and she gasped for air, just like Kol and Marcel did when they first woke up. "Bloody hell!"

Kol's face lit up. They managed to defeat Eva Sinclair without losing Rebekah in the process, or eight witch children who they still didn't know the whereabouts of. "That's our Bekah."

Elijah rushed over to Rebekah's side as soon as he saw that she was awake. After that, he redirected his attention to the injured Marcel, as did Rebekah and Kol. Freya, on the other hand turned to look at her brother Finn, a friendly smile on her face, only for Finn to deliberately look away from her. They were never going to be on the same side as long as she was supporting their younger siblings. She couldn't deny that fact any longer. She was also still coming to terms with everything she saw inside Elijah's mind, his memories of Mikael's horrific abuse towards him and Niklaus were now her memories as well. How could the loving father she remembered, the one who doted on Finn and sobbed when he saw her again for the first time in a thousand years, be the terrible man she saw in Elijah's memories? One who she saw was more than willing to kill Elijah just because he stood in his way. It broke her heart just thinking about it.

 **The Mikaelson Compound, Several Hours later...**

Klaus sat on the couch in the living area of the Mikaelson compound, Esther sitting next to him while Rebekah and Kol stood, Rebekah still looking a little shaken up from everything she just went through what with being trapped in Eva's mind space and all. It was definitely one of the more traumatic events in her life, and considering she had been alive for a thousand years now, that was saying something.

"Well while it was good of our older sister to lift the spell trapping mother and I inside the dining room, I can't exactly forget that she was the one that cast the boundary spell in the first place, shortly after snapping my neck," Klaus remarked.

"She also took care of my hex problem and helped save our sister's soul. You know in all fairness Nik, you did break her neck first," Kol pointed out. "For no other reason than pure paranoia. You know Finn might still be asleep if you hadn't done that?"

Klaus glared at Kol, Kol staring back at him cheekily, to Rebekah's slight amusement. "You lot never hesitate to point out my faults," Klaus noted.

"Kind of hard not to, what with there being so many of them," Kol teased.

"This coming from the man who got staked by a vampire hunter and his sister all because he got too cocky."

Kol frowned, a little embarrassed at the reminder of how he died the last time. "Well at least I went down harder than Finn. He got staked by a mortal didn't he? I think he went by the name of... hold on, it's going to come to me-"

"Matt," Rebekah interrupted. "His name was Matt."

Kol shrugged. "I was going to say Mutt. I was close. What can I say, he was boring, didn't make much of an impression on me to be honest."

"In all seriousness, sister, I am glad to have you back," Klaus stated, Rebekah smiling a little. "And while we're back on to the subject of sisters, Freya... our mother seems to think she was responsible for Rebekah ending up in the mess that she did with Eva Sinclair. You said yourself Kol a witch had to have reawakened Eva's essence while Rebekah was possessing her. I'm afraid Freya may have been said witch. She had the motive and the means."

Kol and Rebekah stared over at their mother incredulously, refusing to believe that Freya may have had something to do with Rebekah losing control over Eva's body. "Since when did we start believing a word that came out of our mother's mouth? You know, I've grown a bit tired of our mother in this body to be honest," Kol added. "We're going to put her soul back in Lenore's body, you seemed pretty adamant about that Nik. What do you say we get that started sooner rather than later?"

"I'm all for that, I want Cami back in control of her own body more than anyone right now. But you should hear what she has to say first on the subject of your beloved Freya. Keep in mind that she's been compelled to tell the truth. Afterwards, mother, you are going back into that vampire's body."

 **The Bell Tower of the St. Louis' Cathedral...**

Freya was knelt down next to an unconscious and dessicated Lenore, removing the shroud that Finn had cloaked her in, while Finn himself stood a few feet behind her, still shackled for good measure. "You're going to put our mother back in the body of that vampire, aren't you?" Finn asked.

"That was the plan brother," Freya replied, turning her head back to look at him. "You made the mistake of putting her in the body of someone Niklaus and Elijah actually care about. Besides after everything our mother has done to us, to this family, she deserves to suffer a little more. Surely we can agree on that."

"Why haven't you killed me yet? You know I stand in the way of whatever it is your planning with our siblings."

Freya had an incredulous look on her face, getting to her feet and looking Finn in the eye as she spoke. "I would never kill you Finn. I would never let anyone else kill you either, otherwise I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of begging Elijah and Kol to let me take you back here. In spite of what you may think about me now, I do care about you Finn and you are still my baby brother. Though I do realize that you will never work alongside the rest of our family, if only to just eliminate the common threat of our aunt Dahlia. Which is a problem I intend to address another time."

"Well I'm forcing you to address it now. Freya, I know how a vampire thinks because I use to be one, for a hundred years. And during those hundred years, I sustained myself on the blood of the innocent, I didn't want to, but I had no choice. The bloodlust was impossible to control at times, all I could do was give in to it... I killed more than a few people in my life Freya. And our siblings have no doubt killed more than I have, especially Niklaus. By working with our siblings you are choosing to work with monsters that will turn on you eventually because it is in the very _nature_ to do so... But I don't have the means to keep fighting a war against them. Nor do I have the will to."

Freya gave Finn a confused look. "What are you trying to say Finn?"

"You heard me when I said I was ready to end my life nine hundred years ago, before Niklaus daggered me. I've nearly ended my own life another time after that. I thought I would be happier in the body of a mortal, if I got the life I wanted. But there's nothing left for me in this world, in this life. I can still recall every horrible thing I've ever done.. and the one thing that made my life bearable, was Sage and she's gone now. I would like to join my Sage now. Perhaps in death we can be reunited."

Freya's heart sank, her jaw dropping a little. "Finn, you are not asking me to kill you. I can't. I won't."

".. I am," Finn admitted, tears starting to form in his eyes as he forced words out of his mouth. "And if you love me, like you claim to, then you'll give me this release. With my death, every life I've ever took, will be avenged. It is what's right."

"It is _not_ what's right! There is nothing right about asking your own sister to kill you!" Freya was now tearing up as well. "I waited a thousand years to see you again, I'm not going to lose you again so soon. I know you've killed people, I know you have a lot of guilt to live with, as do I. We can help each other live with our guilt, that's what siblings are for. I'm always helping you Finn, always coming to your aid, don't ask me to do this. Please. Live, live for me."

"The only way you can help me Freya, is by ending my miserable life."

"I won't!"

"You have to!" Finn insisted.

"No! _Yovara vimuna virael,_ "Freya began to chant, grabbing a hold of the blue pendant that hung around her neck with her fingers, staring Finn down all the while.

"Freya what are you doing?!"

Before Finn could get an answer, he felt a sudden surge of pain in his chest, forcing him to scream in agony. Freya cringed at the sound of her brother in pain but kept chanting, fighting back tears in her eyes.

 _ **Kingdom of Norway, sometime in the 10th Century...**_

 _Freya and Finn stood outside a viking hut, their feet surrounded by snow. Freya looked to be around the age of five, and Finn around the age of three or four. "I know mother's going to have a baby, but you're the only sister I want Freya," Finn said with a warm smile on his face._

 _"This baby is something to be happy for Finn. Mother tells me she's having a boy. She's going to name him Elijah," Freya replied. "And he won't be your sister. He will be your brother."_

 _"I don't want a brother," Finn pouted. "I just want you Freya. And mother, and father. We don't need a brother."_

 _Freya knew why Finn didn't want any other siblings; he was worried about being neglected by his loved ones in favour of the newest member of their family. "You know I'll love you just as much when Elijah's born. No one will take your place."_

 _"Will you?"_

 _"Yes. You'll still be my Muninn. Always."_

 _Freya reached out and wrapped her arms around Finn in a sudden hug, embracing her younger brother._

 **Back to the Present Day...**

Freya's pendant began to glow brightly, and Finn ceased screaming, becoming perfectly still for a minute. Finn then collapsed unconscious on to the floor, and Freya's pendant glowed for a little while longer before the glow faded.

Freya then fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she began to sob uncontrollably.

 _Author's Note: Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, sorry for it being a bit longer than usual and once again thanks to everyone who is still taking time out of their day to read this and hello to anybody who has just found this story. This is the last chapter of 2x17 AU, next chapter will be the start of 2x18 AU, which I'm looking forward to starting. Credit to Dante 101 for giving me the idea of the flashback with Finn and Freya in this chapter.  
_


	19. Heart of the Night, Part 1

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part One

 _Author's Note: This chapter is set roughly one week after the events of Episode 17, "If I Were Brave". Some of you may have noticed that I wrote a story set in the same continuity of this story titled "Kol and Hope", set in between chapters 18 and 19, detailing the time in which Kol met Hope. For those of you who've read it, I hope you enjoyed it, I wanted to include it as part of this story but I couldn't really find the space to squeeze it in. Also, I added a small flashback scene in chapter 18 with Finn/Freya if anyone's interested, the idea for said flashback was given to me from Dante 101 as a way to enhance the story.  
_

 **The Lyonne Tomb...**

"Welcome to your new home Esther," Freya said sarcastically.

Esther looked around the tomb nervously, her spirit having been placed back in the body of the vampire Lenore. "I've cast a spell to ensure you won't be leaving any time soon. You'll be stuck here for the forseeable future I'm afraid," Freya added.

"If you still resent me as much as you claim to, why haven't you killed me yet?" Esther asked.

Freya smirked coldly. "And make your suffering end so soon? Besides, I still have a few words for the woman who once claimed to be _my loving mother_."

Esther gave Freya a confused look, to Freya's mild annoyance. "You said the other day that you didn't see that light in me. That's because _your sister_ snuffed it out! I was _five_ , and she was _the devil_. She _took_ my light. My _love_. My will to live... She taught me what true pain and suffering was. I could give you glimpses of what my life was like after she took me, but what would be the point? You knew who your sister was and you know what kind of life was in store for me when she came for me. You knew my life was not going to be a happy one. Far from it."

"Freya, I'm so sorry," Esther said softly, stepping closer to Freya, only for Freya to step backwards, appalled at the thought of her mother touching her.

"I don't believe you. I have no true home, not like my siblings did, because _you_ gave me up! As part of your Faustian Bargain... You are incapable of love, or even remorse," Esther was expecting Freya to tear up, to grow vulnerable, but all she did was grow colder. "There is nothing you can say or do to make up for your actions."

"Am I interrupting?" Mikael asked, his voice coming from behind her. Freya turned around instantly, letting out a small sigh of relief, while Esther stared at her husband with a look of pure fear on her face, slowly backing away from him.

"No, you're not interrupting anything," Freya replied calmly, her coldness fading a little.

Mikael embraced his daughter in a warm hug, a rare smile on his face, seemingly ignoring Esther's presence. Freya hugged her father back, though she couldn't help but think back to everything she saw in Elijah's head as she did, all his memories of Mikael and how horrible he was to his other children, including Finn, after she was taken. Was the man she was hugging right now truly the father she had been separated from a thousand years ago?

Freya broke apart from the hug first, clearing her throat and looking into her father's eyes. "Do you have everything I asked for? The soil, the ashes?"

Mikael nodded. "I do."

"Good. Now all we need is for me to spill some of my blood, and then bind the three ingredients to a weapon. Well, not _a_ weapon. It would be wise to make more than one, just to be safe. I don't care to leave anything up to chance. We may not be able to kill Dahlia the first time we attempt to."

"Tearing this witch apart shouldn't take more than a few minutes," Mikael stated confidently. "I have destroyed many like her before. If I am to be the one to kill Dahlia, I will _not_ have to make multiple attempts, this I am sure of."

"That kind of thinking will get you killed," Esther warned, unexpectedly jumping into Freya and Mikael's conversation. "Dahlia is no ordinary witch. As powerful as you knew me to be Mikael, my sister could accomplish everything I could when I turned you and our children into vampires when she was no older than the age of nine."

Mikael glared over at Esther, annoyed. He felt she wronged him in just about every way possible. She gave away his first born child, his Freya, and lied to him about it, with no intention of ever telling him the truth. Now here she was warning him about Dahlia, the very woman she handed their child over to. "I would like a moment alone with my wife. If you would allow it, Freya."

Freya looked over at Esther, thinking it over for a minute. Esther looked back at her pleadingly. "By all means father. Take as long as you want."

 **Aiden's Apartment...**

Josh was wide awake, sitting up in bed, shirtless, a sleeping Aiden cuddled up next to him, a blanket draped over both of them, covering the lower halves of their bodies. Josh put his fingers through Aiden's hair as he watched him sleep, a small smile on his face. This was the first time he'd watched Aiden sleep before. He treasured every minute he had with him, knowing that their relationship wouldn't last forever, since Aiden was mortal and Josh was pretty sure he had no interest in becoming a hybrid like Hayley. It was a thought that crossed Josh's mind every now and then, that while he stayed young and beautiful for as long as he lived, which could potentially be forever, Aiden would grow old, and die sometime within the next eighty years. The thought made him both a little sad and uncomfortable.

But it was too early in their relationship to have a conversation about such a topic. Even though Josh was certain that the thought had crossed Aiden's mind too on more than one occasion. He was a vampire, Aiden was a werewolf, their relationship was doomed from the start, but for some reason, that didn't stop them from getting together in the first place. Josh never even really considered himself a true vampire. He hadn't really killed anyone, he hadn't formed sadistic tendencies, he didn't change his wardrobe so the only colour he ever wore was black. He thought of himself more as a human that had to drink blood and was immortal... and had a sensitivity to direct sunlight.

Aiden's eyes began to open, and he let out a small yawn, looking up at Josh and smiling. Josh leaned over and put one hand on Aiden's face, then giving him a kiss on the lips. He could contemplate their relationship being doomed another time.

 **The Claire Tomb/"Kol's Playhouse"...**

"Can we even do that? Restore your original body?" Davina asked, a sceptical look on her face.

Kol nodded. "Pretty sure we can. We would just need a few things, whatever's left of my old body, a lot of power, the rest is pretty standard stuff. And fortunately we have an incredibly powerful witch on our side now, my sister Freya, who I'm sure would help us if I asked."

"But if you restore your old body, you're going to be a vampire. Not just any ordinary vampire either, you'd be an original. I thought you liked being a witch more. No bloodlust, no heightened emotion-"

"I do, prefer being a witch," Kol interrupted. "But my Aunt Dahlia is coming here to New Orleans to claim my niece for herself as part of some foolish bargain my mother made with her a thousand years ago. I don't want to see my niece go anywhere with that lunatic, I want to be part of the fight to protect her. And I can't do that in this body. In this body, I'm a hell of a lot more vulnerable. As an original, I'm bloody near indestructible. Besides, I can always go back to possessing Kaleb once we've killed Dahlia."

Davina now looked concerned, contemplating the thought of what Kol would be like as a vampire. Suddenly, she was reminded of what Eva said to her, that she didn't really know who Kol was. A part of her was worried that Kol would be a completely different person as a vampire, one who was evil and sadistic, and not the man that was standing before her now. Another part of her thought that maybe Kol was lying to her when he said he preferred being witch, and becoming an original vampire again was always his endgame, he was just waiting for the opportunity and the right moment.

Davina paused. "Why do you need to be a part of this fight Kol? Klaus, Elijah, Freya, Rebekah once she's back in her original body, they have more than enough people in their corner, how hard could it possibly be to kill one lousy witch?"

"Dahlia's not just one lousy witch love. She should not be taken lightly. From what I've been told she's even more powerful than Freya in terms of magic, Freya who didn't die after Nik broke her, Freya who snapped Nik's neck like it was nothing, the hybrid! They're going to need all the help they can get... Are you going to support me in this?" Kol asked, as if he half expected Davina to say no.

Instead, Davina replied with "Promise me, that when you're a vampire again, for however long you decide to stay as one, that you won't kill anyone who doesn't have it coming. You won't just kill for the sake of killing."

"You have my word, Davina Claire," Kol promised, without even taking a minute to think about it. "You trust me don't you?"

"I do."

"Then let's hit up Rebekah, see if she knows what became of my original body after I got staked. Truth be told I'm a little concerned about my baby sister, she's been acting a little off ever since we vanquished Eva Sinclair."

 **Somewhere out in the French Quarter...**

Hayley and Jackson walked down the streets of the French Quarter, Hayley pushing baby Hope around in a stroller. The two exchanged words as they passed by several locals, tourists, and the odd street musician. Hope cooed at Hayley, Hayley smiling, giggling and tickling her daughter's feet in response.

"So, Mrs. Kenner," Jackson started, only for Hayley to roll her eyes and interrupt him.

"Still Marshall," Hayley replied, maintaining her smile. "I happen to like the last name I have."

"What's wrong with Kenner?" Jackson asked playfully.

Hayley looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Hayley Kenner? Hayley Marshall sounds better."

Jackson grinned, believing Hayley's stance on keeping her last name came from her need to maintain some independence and personal identity, which he respected, and it was even something he found cute. That being said, he always pictured when he was married that his wife would take his last name.

Hayley tickled Hope's feet again, listening to the sound of her daughter giggle, before being distracted by the sound of a violin. Hayley looked down the street at a violinist, who was playing a tune that seemed oddly familiar to her, she just couldn't place her finger on where she heard it before. Hayley walked a little closer towards the violinist with Jackson by her side.

The violinist made eye contact with Hayley, then with the baby, and smiled. The song she was playing came to a sudden and abrupt halt. Hayley smiled warmly at the violinist, taking her wallet out and putting a bit of money into the open violin case on the ground near the violinist's feet.

Hayley began to walk away from the violinist, only to stop when the violinist began to play began, this time playing a much slower, more ominous sounding tune. This tune Hayley didn't recognize, but it certainly disturbed her. There was something very unnerving about it. Hayley looked back over at the violinist, who stared back at her creepily.

"That song.. what is it?" Hayley asked, shivering a little. Jackson gave his wife a look of concern.

The violinist didn't respond, she didn't even look like she had heard what Hayley just said. Nervous, Hayley turned around and continued to walk away from the violinist, this time at a slightly faster pace. As she continued down the street, pushing the stroller, she scanned her surroundings, spotting a waiter writing a message on to a chalkboard just outside the restaurant that he worked at presumably, using a dark red marker. The waiter took the marker away from the chalkboard, the message reading "A promise made is a debt to be paid!" Hayley was now even more alarmed than before. She had a feeling she knew what was going on and who was responsible for it.

Suddenly, Hayley, Hope and Jackson were stopped by a well dressed man, holding a large, long-stemmed red and black flower in his hand. "Flowers, miss," the man said, offering the flower to baby Hope. "A gift for the child."

Jackson stepped forward, growing a little aggressive. "No, we're alright. Thank you."

"Are you sure?" the man asked, a wide, creepy smile on his face. Hayley watched him carefully as he stood up straight, moving the flower away from Hope's stroller. He stared at the flower for a second. "Black dahlias are in bloom. They're quite lovely."

Hayley's suspicions were confirmed. Cautiously, she tried to walk past the well dressed man, only for him to grab her tightly by her left arm, both of his eyes turning pure white simultaneously. It was the work of witchcraft. "Take your hand off me," Hayley warned, trying to calm herself in the face of danger.

The man's grip on Hayley's arm only got tighter. Hayley was about to use force to rip the man's hand off her arm when she saw Klaus come out from out of nowhere, taking the man's hand off her arm, grabbing him by the throat, and running him over to a nearby lamp post, while using his enhanced vampire speed. He put the man in a choke hold, raising him into the air while holding his neck with one hand. "Show yourself, _witch_!" Klaus demanded, letting out a growl.

The man's eyes returned to normal, to Klaus' frustration. Hayley breathed a small sigh of relief, only to turn to Jackson and found that his eyes looked just like the well dressed man's did a moment ago; completely white. The witch was now talking controlling Jackson. "Klaus!" Hayley called, Klaus dropping the man he was holding almost immediately and coming to Hayley's aid.

Klaus and Hayley stared down the controlled Jackson, Klaus scowling while Hayley looked terrified. "I am _here_. I am _everywhere_. There is no hiding from me, and I _will_ take what is rightfully mine," the controlled Jackson threatened, speaking with a voice that had a feminine flair to it.

" _You_ ," Klaus spat.

Jackson groaned as he felt the invading presence leave his body, his eyes returning to normal. He stared at both Hayley and Klaus in confusion, while Hayley looked around the streets for a minute, noticing that the violinist had ceased playing the ominous tune, and the message written on the chalkboard had been erased as if it was never there to begin with.

"What the hell just happened?" Jackson asked.

Klaus sighed. "Dahlia. She's _here_."


	20. Heart of the Night, Part 2

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part Two

 **The Lyonne Tomb...**

Mikael stared at Esther with a furious look on his face, his nostrils flaring. He was doing his best to keep his anger under control, knowing his daughter was not far outside the tomb, waiting for him, and probably expecting him not to have killed the wife who he felt so betrayed by. "How dare you... lie to me about what became of _our daughter,_ " Mikael said in a vicious tone. "Handing her over to your sister AS IF SHE MEANT _NOTHING_ TO YOU! ... The happiest day of my long life was the day she was born, our first child. For a time I thought you were barren, that we would never know the joy of having children."

"I was confident I was as well. That is why I made that deal with my sister, she was a far more powerful witch than I was, and I knew she could give me fertility. But the fertility she gave me came at a price. Our first born child, and the first born child of every generation so long as my bloodline continued to exist, would belong to her," Esther explained, pure fear in her eyes. "I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world. I also knew if I couldn't give you children, my life would be a short lived.

"I _loved_ you. I would have accepted not having children, if it meant spending the rest of my life with you," Mikael insisted, though Esther couldn't help but feel he didn't mean a word of what he just said. "But you took that decision out of my hands... For years, I had nightmares about our little girl's lifeless corpse, burning. And now I know that that was all a lie. She was alive!"

Esther began to tear up. "What would you have done Mikael? If I told you my sister took our child, would what you have done? I know you, you would have stopped at nothing to get Freya back. And that would have been a mistake-"

Within the blink of an eye, Esther found herself pinned up against the wall behind her by Mikael, plunging one hand into her chest and grabbing her heart, prepared to rip it out at any moment, blood drizzling down from the open wound he created. Esther gasped.

"YOU RUINED, MY LIFE!" Mikael bellowed, gripping Esther's heart tightly, looking her in the eyes while he did, his gaze intense. " _You_ made me into the demon you see before you. You and your lies, your manipulations! _Yes_ , I would have pursued Dahlia, and I would have killed _anyone_ who tried to stop me. I would have rescued Freya and brought her home so she could live the life she wanted, the life _she,_ deserved!" Mikael paused, his eyes starting to water as well. He was rarely so overcome with emotion before. "It would not have been a mistake. The mistake was deceiving me into thinking she died horribly."

"Dahlia... would have killed you. And she would have killed Finn, Elijah, and any other children we had. Then she would have finally ended me once she made sure I had suffered enough first. There was nothing... that could be done."

Mikael smirked bitterly. "You think I believe for one second that Dahlia is as powerful as you make her out to be? ... at the age of nine. Such tall tales. I've met Dahlia. She held herself in such high esteem, as did you, but deep down, she was a pathetic _bitch._ I will make sure to slice her head off and keep it as a trophy as a symbol of my triumph over her when I kill her. And each and every day I continue to live, I will spit on it."

Esther gulped nervously. She was certain that Mikael was going to kill her before he left the tomb today.

"You never planned to give me the chance to kill Niklaus, did you? I don't believe you did. Your _love_ child meant to much to you. You were going to use me to make your ends meet, and then you were going to kill me, weren't you?! You, and the rest of our children were going to live out the rest of your lives in the bodies of mortals, while I became a pile of ash!"

 **Outside the Tomb...**

Freya stood a few feet away from the entrance of the Lyonne Tomb, hearing her father scream at her mother. A part of her felt a tinge of remorse, though she didn't understand why. Esther was a terrible mother to her, and a terrible mother to all her other children from what she could tell, not to mention a terrible wife and a terrible person all around. But then, similar things could be said about her father. Her father who used to beat Niklaus without any hesitation, her father who neglected the rest of his children when he wasn't making their lives miserable. She was the only one who loved him now, and she was starting to understand why.

Freya's kidnapping had truly ruined him, just as it had ruined her, and ruined Finn. Freya looked down at the blue pendant on her necklace, and rubbed it with her fingers, thinking of Finn while she did. She tore his soul away from Vincent's body and placed it inside her talisman, so she wouldn't have to lose him, so she wouldn't have to worry about him offing himself. As far as she knew, Finn was unaware of what had happened to him. It would be just like when he was daggered for nine hundred years.

Freya felt her cell phone begin to vibrate in her pant pocket. She took in a deep breathe as she reached for her phone, taking it out.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus, Hayley, Rebekah, Elijah and Freya were convening in the dining room, Klaus standing behind one chair, Elijah standing behind another, and Freya standing off to the side while Hayley and Rebekah were seated on opposite sides of the table.

"Isn't that the point of a fortress?" Klaus pointed out. "It does a better job protecting you when you _stay_ within its walls?"

Hayley looked a little embarrassed. "Okay! We get it. Now, let's just figure out what the _hell_ we're going to do."

Klaus smirked. "What I would _like_ to do, little wolf, is take a very strong _leash_ -"

Elijah raised his hand, politely interrupting Klaus. "Children, please. _Niklaus_ , your ire is justified. However, Hayley is _quite_ right."

Hayley shrugged, a small smile forming on her face as she looked over at Klaus, who responded with a pout. She then looked over to Elijah, who was avoiding making eye contact with her, to her discomfort. She felt a little tug in her chest every time Elijah did something to distance himself from her.

"What we need is to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please?" Elijah said as he gestured over to his older sister.

Freya stood away from the table, pouring a liquid into several tea cups. Freya sighed deeply. "The spell you described... Dahlia calls it "kenning" - using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. One of her more preferred tricks," Freya paused, exchanging a glance with Klaus, Klaus looking skeptical of what she had just said, but also a little curious. "But, I've never heard of it being done on such a large scale. Apparently she's only gotten more powerful since the last time I saw her."

Hayley sighed in frustration. "Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential _spy_."

Freya gave Hayley a nod of confirmation. "Fortunately, I know a little about how her magic works. I should after spending years at her side," Freya replied, gesturing at the tray she had set up. The tray now had on it a silver tea kettle and five tea cups full of brown liquid on saucers. "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us, should she feel inclined to do so."

Rebekah and Freya each reached for a cup. Seeing that no one else was moving, Rebekah gave them all a look before opening her mouth. "Well, come on! This should work like a charm!"

Elijah pulled out the nearest by chair and took a seat at the dining room table, next to Hayley. Rebekah quickly passed him a cup, then passed another cup to Hayley, while Klaus remained standing, not moving a muscle. Rebekah raised her cup with an uncharacteristic smile on her face, to Elijah's mild concern. "Bottoms up!"

Rebekah, Freya, Hayley and Elijah all drank their tonic at once, each one making a face as they swallowed, the kind of face you would expect one to make after taking a shot of whiskey. Freya took the last cup from the tray and walked over to Klaus, offering it to him, but all Klaus did was stare at the cup.

"I assure you Niklaus, It's not poison," Freya teased with a friendly smile on her face.

"I prefer my tea with biscuits," Klaus replied nonchalantly. Both Freya and Elijah rolled their eyes, Elijah sighing in annoyance.

"Of course you do," Elijah muttered.

Klaus ignored him, still refusing to take the cup from Freya. "Don't think your mind is too great to be overtaken by Dahlia, even with a thousand years under your belt, you have only had a taste of what our she can do... I'm _sorry_ for breaking your neck the other day. Then trapping you in the same room with our mother. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was necessary at the time... Take the tonic, Niklaus, if not for your own sake, then for your daughter's."

Klaus sighed, thinking of his daughter Hope for a second, and her innocent smile that whenever he saw it, warmed his cold heart. Suddenly, Klaus took the cup from out of Freya's hand and placed it to his lips, drinking every last drop of it.

"I believe what we experienced was a test, Dahlia's watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle... My guess is sooner, rather than later," Klaus stated.

"Well, if she was watching us, she would know we have our own army," Hayley added.

"She also knows _where_ we are. And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft," Elijah suggested.

"That's a fine strategy," Freya admitted. "I offer another," she continued, Klaus looking at her, intrigued. "We can use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source. Find out _exactly_ where she is."

Everyone in the room looked to Hayley, waiting for a response. Hayley contemplated it for a moment. While she didn't want to put Jackson in harm's way, remembering what happened with Jerrick and Mikael, her daughter's safety came first. She looked over to Klaus, who smiled at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Alright. I'll get him on the job."

"Good! Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. _So_ , I'm going to find a way to _murder_ that godforsaken witch," Klaus responded gleefully, pleased by Hayley's answer.

 **The Claire Tomb/ "Kol's Playhouse"...**

Kol had a frustrated look on his face as he slipped his cell phone into his pocket. "I can't believe Rebekah isn't returning my calls. Or responding to any of my text messages."

"Her very soul was tortured by Eva Sinclair. God only knows what kind of effect that had on her," Davina replied, offering Kol her best explanation. "Maybe she just has her phone turned off for some reason, or maybe she doesn't have it on her at the moment."

"Rebekah's been alive for a thousand years Davina. I doubt one little encounter with a psychotic witch would shake her up all that much."

Davina let out a sigh of annoyance, to Kol's concern. "Well truth be told our little sister has been acting a little off ever since regaining control over Eva's body. I think it also troubles her that she can't leave the body in which she was mentally tortured because she is currently linked to eight other children, who will all die if she leaves said body," Klaus interrupted, standing over at the entrance of the tomb. "I'm told the witch elder Josephine is working on unlinking them, unfortunately it's just taking longer than what anyone had anticipated."

Kol turned around to look at Klaus, neither a smile nor a frown on his face. "Nik! I don't believe I gave you an invitation to come here whenever you feel like," Kol replied.

"You didn't," Klaus continued, walking over towards Kol. "But Rebekah told me where I might find you. She says you left a few messages on her phone, also missed a couple of calls from you."

"Just had a couple of questions for her, concerning what became of my old body after I got staked by Jeremy Gilbert."

Klaus had an intrigued look on his face. "Well, I'm here, you know, the only one of our family who was present when you died as a vampire. Why don't you ask me?"

"Where did you bury my charred corpse Nik?" Kol asked, sounding a little impatient.

Klaus' facial expression grew more serious and less playful. "I didn't bury your body, Kol. I had it cremated. The ashes are currently at the compound, kept in the best urn I could find."

Kol looked a little touched by the fact that Klaus kept his ashes with him. It reminded him of an exchange he and Klaus had had before, when Klaus told him that he did indeed mourn him after he died, but Kol never truly believed it. He observed Klaus from time to time after his death, when his spirit lingered in the limbo known as the Other Side, and from what he observed, Klaus didn't seem to think about him much at all after he died. He even seemed to recall Rebekah saying, _"please, you hated Kol"_ , to Klaus once. "Klaus-"

"What do you need the ashes of your true body for, brother?" Klaus asked, cutting Kol off. "Preforming some sort of dark magic ritual I assume."

"I want to restore my old body. Become an original vampire again so I can join the fight against our aunt Dahlia."

Klaus smirked. "That does remind me, long story short, Dahlia's arrived, here, in the city. She used a kenning spell to harass Hayley and Hope while they were out for a stroll around the French Quarter," Klaus went on, Kol's eyes widening. He hoped to already have his original body reconstructed by the time Dahlia got here. "Now here's where our father, Mikael, comes in. As you know lovely Freya has dispatched him to gather some items we require to craft a weapon that could kill Dahlia, and seeing as Davina over here was the one who brought him back from the dead, I'm guessing she has the means to find him. Help me find Mikael... and the ashes of your true body are all yours."

Davina stared at Klaus in disbelief. "You're not just going to hand over the ashes because he asked for them? They're his ashes, he has a right to them," Davina argued. "And the only reason he wants to restore his original body is to help _your_ daughter."

"You make a fair point Davina, unfortunately, I am an opportunist. If I give you Kol's ashes now, where's your incentive to help me track down Mikael?"

"There's such a thing as favours you know. I now found myself missing the old Nik that use to run at the mere mention of our father's name," Kol lamented.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "As I said before, Mikael may have the ingredients we need to kill Dahlia on his person right now. I will give you the ashes of your old body but only when you've held up your end of our bargain. Do we have a deal?"

Kol looked over to Davina, seeing if she would agree to help Klaus for his benefit. Knowing what Kol was going to ask, Davina nodded. Kol looked back at Klaus and sneered. "Fine. You have a bloody deal. We'll help you find Mikael."

 **Aiden's Apartment...**

Josh was laying on his back next to Aiden, head on his pillow, holding his hand and smiling.

"We should _probably_ get up now," Aiden said, smiling as well, looking just as content as his boyfriend.

"Yeahh, definitely. Hundred percent."

Aiden turned over in the bed to face Josh. "So, it's settled, then? Huh?"

"I'm basically already out the door!" Josh joked.

Aiden gave a small laugh. "Yeah?"

Josh grinned. "Or, we _could_ stay in bed _all day long_."

"Oooh."

Josh rested his head against one hand. "You know, some Netflix, Chinese food... maybe some other stuff... _probably_ some other stuff."

Aiden lifted his head. "Mmm.."

They both laughed a little until Aiden's cell phone began to vibrate against his nightstand, interrupting the moment. Reluctantly, Aiden reached out and grabbed his phone, only sitting up when he saw the caller ID, his feet hitting the floor. Aiden groaned. "Oh, I should probably take this. It's Jackson."

Josh looked at Aiden intently for a second, before replying. "Yeah, no, I got it. Wolf business," Josh said as he slipped out of bed. "I'm gonna go grab a shower."

Josh walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Once Aiden heard the lock, he answered the call, holding the phone up to his ear while he put clothes on. "Yeah?" Aiden whispered into the phone.

"Aiden, lad! It seems your big, bad Alpha has been compromised," Klaus opened with in a cheery tone.

"What? What happened? Is he okay?"

He swore he could hear Klaus sighing on the other end. "Relax! Jackson is fine, a little intellectually challenged, but fine. He's just offered proof of his general inadequacy. I can't trust him to guard Hope. So, while my hands are full, I need you to serve as my eyes and ears. Get to the compound and report back anything I should know. _Especially_ where my daughter's concerned."

Aiden grew anxious. "..Uh, yeah. Sure thing. I'm on my way."

"Good lad."

Aiden ended the call, a conflicted look on his face.

 _Author's Note: Thus ends the latest chapter in this story. As always, I hope everyone enjoyed, thank you to those of you who are still reading, and if you have a suggestion or criticism, tell me with a review. Oh and that scene at the beginning with Esther and Mikael, the idea for that came from Dante 101. I always had the intention of including a scene where Mikael really had it out with Esther, because it was something that the TV Series didn't do that I felt they should've, but the idea for the scene to mostly revolve around the fact that Freya was kidnapped and Esther lied to him and said she died, came from Dante.  
_


	21. Heart of the Night, Part 3

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part Three

 **Cami's Apartment...**

Cami walked into the bathroom of her apartment, closing the door behind her and letting out a sigh. She went over to the mirror and stared at her reflection for a moment. She then slipped off her shirt, unhooked her bra, unbuckled her belt and dropping her jeans down to the ground before taking off her underwear. She then opened the shower door and stepped in slowly. She only turned the hot water knob, a blank expression on her face. She stood under the shower nozzle, standing in such a way that only her face was being washed.

She closed her eyes for a moment, only for her to find herself in the dining room of the Mikaelson compound, talking to Klaus when she opened her eyes again.

" _You took longer to heal than what I would've expected," Cami said, not even choosing to say the words she did or know why she was saying them._

" _Rub it in why don't you? She must really loathe me to break my neck and leave me trapped in a room with you," Klaus replied coldly._

Cami shook her head, closing her eyes. When she opened them again this time, she found herself back in her shower, small jets of hot water still pouring on to her face.

It had been happening all week, ever since she regained control of her body from Esther. Tiny little bits of Esther's time in her body came to her at the most unexpected times in the form of a flashback that a PTSD victim might have. A part of her wanted to talk to Klaus about it, another part of her wanted to keep the flashbacks to herself. She didn't think there was anything anyone could do for her, she just had to work through it on her own.

 **The French Quarter...**

Klaus walked down the street to meet up with Kol and Davina, the two of them sitting on a bench, Davina looking particularly impatient. Her hatred for Klaus hadn't lessened any; he was still the man who tried to kill her and Josh, and did kill her friend Tim. She was never going to get past all of the pain he caused her, even if the monster was her boyfriend's half brother.

"So, what's the deal anyway?" Davina asked Klaus as he approached her and Kol at the bench, now just a few feet away from them. "Aiden at your beck and call now?"

Klaus sat down next to Davina on the bench, to her annoyance. "I'm simply mentoring a young promising wolf."

Davina rolled her eyes while Kol smirked. "Josh isn't going to be too happy when he finds out."

Klaus chuckled. "And I am _shaking_ in my boots at the mere thought of his displeasure. You see, Davina, Josh and Aiden are in love, which means they both have something to lose, thus making them all too easily manipulated... should the need arise."

"Same old Nik," Kol muttered. "You may be a father now but you're still the Machiavellian you always were."

Davina stared at Klaus for a moment, frowning. "It must _really_ suck to be _you_ all the time."

Kol smiled while Klaus looked a little offended at Davina's remark. Then he shrugged. "...Well, it hasn't been a picnic... honestly."

Davina let out a sigh. "You know, the thing is, you have that thing, too, don't you?"

Klaus and Kol both gave Davina a look of confusion, trying to figure out what she was referring to. "Someone you love more than _anything_. Even yourself."

Klaus was caught off guard at the mention of his daughter, which he knew now, was who Davina was referring to. "How does that feel?" Davina asked, looking into Klaus' eyes intensely. "To be one of us, with something to lose?"

Klaus opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say something in response, only for Davina to make a gesture, pointing towards a cab that had just pulled up to the curb. "There. He's here," Davina said, cutting Klaus off. Klaus got up off the bench and darted over towards the cab using vampire speed.

Kol immediately grew tense and uncomfortable, knowing who was about to get out of that cab. The back door of the vehicle opened, and Mikael stepped out on to the street, a smug look on his face.

Mikael paused for a moment before turning around, sensing someone's presence behind him. He was now face to face with Klaus, who didn't seem to show a hint of fear in him, unlike almost every other time they met. He didn't like it. Not one bit. "Well, well, _well_... if it isn't the _bastard_ himself. Have you come looking for another beating, _boy_?

Klaus seemed unimpressed by Mikael's threat. "As much as I'd love to plunge a white oak stake into your heart again, _Mikael_ , I can't help but wonder if our interests might be better served, joining forces. You know full well the threat we face. So, how about it? Care to join the _bastard_ on a witch-hunt?"

Mikael grinned widely, clearly intrigued with what Klaus had to say. Meanwhile, Kol and Davina watched the conversation unfold between Klaus and Mikael, Kol waiting for the unexpected encounter to turn violent any minute now. He never believed for one minute that his father would ally himself with Klaus, even under the most dire of circumstances. To say he hated him with a burning passion was an understatement.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Elijah, Marcel, Gia and Josephine stood in the middle of the St. James Infirmary club, which currently looked as though it was in the middle of renovation. Josephine smiled widely as she looked around, to Marcel's curiosity, who had rarely ever seen the woman genuinely smile.

"Well, this was quite the place back in my day. St. James Infirmary. Vulgar. Filthy. Loud. Some of the best nights of my life," Josephine blushed a little. "But, I assume you didn't go through all this trouble on my account."

"You assume correctly," Marcel replied. "For years, this place served as neutral grounds for both our communities. A place where all were welcome and safe."

"And in keeping with that tradition," Elijah jumped in. "We'd like to invite you to cast a spell. One that might prevent the use of magic within these walls."

Josephine looked both appalled and caught off guard by Elijah's suggestion. "You'd ask me to create a place where my kind is utterly powerless?"

Elijah smiled back at her politely, to her mild frustration. "My dear Josephine, powerful as you are, surely you must have sensed this grave new threat? The threat being my aunt Dahlia, a witch who has managed to cheat death for the last one thousand years while staying in her true body. No ordinary witch could accomplish such a feat."

Josephine nodded, but she still didn't look too pleased. "And I am not without empathy. And I am grateful for the return of the eight children and Vincent Griffith, we're still waiting to get young Kaleb Westphall back-"

"You might be waiting a while," Gia interrupted.

"... My loyalty is to the witches of this city. They are my priority. This is not our fight," Josephine finished.

Elijah frowned, to Gia's concern, knowing he was about to get unpleasant. "Well, then, I do hope you understand that anyone willing to stand aside and allow _my family_ to be threatened... I would be forced to consider an enemy. I imagine someone as old and knowledge as yourself would know what it means to be considered an enemy of the Mikaelson family."

Josephine stared at Elijah hard for a moment, mildly disturbed by what the vampire had just said. "As I said, Elijah, I am not without empathy."

"Maybe we could all reach some kind of compromise," Gia suggested. "You know, something that doesn't put the witches at a disadvantage but still protects the baby from Dahlia."

Josephine considered what Gia had just said, looking around the room for a moment as she did. "Perhaps a traditional blessing to dispel unwanted spirits? A barrier against those who mean to do anyone inside harm?" Josephine offered, Elijah smiling approvingly, Gia looking a little relieved that they seemed to avoid making a new enemy. Josephine thought about it for another moment before smiling and nodding once more. "Yes, a blessing combined with a disruption spell will do the trick."

"Not to be a downer here but how do we expect Hayley to stay inside the Infirmary again? The girl doesn't exactly like being told what to do," Gia pointed out. "That and I think Jackson and her will have their own ideas on how to keep the baby safe."

Elijah didn't seem the least bit worried about what Gia had just said. "I'm sure if need be, Niklaus will wait until the vervain drains out of her system and compel her to stay here. Besides, I know Hayley, she'll want what's best for her daughter, and she knows what's best for her daughter - is to be here where there will be some kind of _mystical_ protection against Dahlia."

 **Rue St. Louis' Bar & Restaurant...**

Klaus and Mikael sat on opposite sides of a small table in a restaurant, Klaus openly gripping the indestructible white oak stake in his hand on top of the table while Mikael eyed him cautiously, the tension between the two only rising with each minute that went by in which they didn't talk.

A young, tall, dark haired waitress came up to the pair, a notepad in her hand. She looked at the stake in Klaus' hand curiously. "You want some fries with that stake?" she asked jokingly.

Klaus laughed while Mikael looked annoyed, rolling his eyes at the sound of Klaus' laughter. "I bought one of my own at Marie Laveau's voodoo shop," the waitress added.

Klaus gave the waitress a friendly smile, clearly amused by her. "I'll have a bourbon please, sweetheart."

The waitress turned to Mikael, Mikael sighing in annoyance as she did. "And what can I-"

"Nothing," Mikael interrupted her, growling a little as he did. "Leave us."

The waitress threw Klaus a confused look before turning around and walking away. Klaus gritted his teeth. "I _despise_ this city. Everything about it, the music, the art, the _people_."

"Cut to the chase, shall we?" Klaus suggested before pausing briefly, Mikael relenting. "Your precious Freya told me she sent you off to procure certain items that will expedite the death of your sister-in-law. May I assume you completed your task?"

"There are three elements total," Mikael replied. "Combined, they represent Dahlia's sole weakness," Mikael continued, Klaus looking intrigued. "If you'd like to take them from me, by all means. Have at it."

Klaus smirked, not the least bit surprised by Mikael challenging him. "Your mind always drifts to violence. Even when you're so _clearly_ outmatched. What is it you tried teaching to your children? Ah yes – 'The true Viking warrior _hones_ his fear, like a _blade_!'" Klaus mocked, Mikael sneering.

"Did you come here to critique _m_ y parenting skills? Or to whine about how little you were loved?" Mikael taunted, the grin on Klaus' face fading. "You were weak before, but you are weaker _still._ "

Klaus held up the stake to Mikael confidently, practically daring him to try and snatch it from his hands right then and there, but Mikael didn't move a muscle, instead, his nostrils flared a little as he stared down at the stake. "If you had truly thought me weak, you would try and snatch the stake from my hands. But you don't. Because you know better. Do keep in mind, _father,_ that I ended your life once before and I could happily do so again. Whatever power you think you still have over me, you don't."

Mikael didn't say a word, though he was clearly angered by Klaus' words. "I suggest we focus on a common enemy. Rather than handing your materials over to Freya, drawing her into a fight she may not survive, why not join me? ... If we win, both our daughters will be free. If we lose," Klaus' grin returned. "Well, at least you'll die, knowing the bastard finally got his due."

Mikael sat back in his chair and sighed, contemplating Klaus' offer. He hadn't given Freya the materials yet, but he did have his blood on her now, all three ingredients they required he currently had on him. Siding with Klaus meant betraying his beloved daughter, but he wasn't going to put her in harm's way, not after being reunited with her after a thousand eyes, believing she had been dead the entire time. Klaus' offer certainly appealed to him.

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Jackson was laying on a table, topless, Freya drawing an infinity symbol on to his bare chest using the burned end of a sage smudge-stick. "By doing this, we should be able to trace Dahlia's signature all the way back to the source of her power," Freya stated, before looking over to Hayley, who stood a few feet away beside Rebekah. "But I'll need to dig deep," she continued, now looking over at Rebekah, who stared back at her worriedly. "Rebekah, if I may channel you?"

Rebekah nodded at Freya nervously, walking closer towards Freya and offering her hands to her. Freya gestured to Rebekah to go over on the opposite side of the table from where she was standing, and Rebekah did so. The sisters joined hands over Jackson's body, Freya beginning to chant a spell in a foreign language. Rebekah reluctantly repeated after her, and as they continued to chant, Jackson's back began to arch painfully. He let out a moan that made Rebekah cringe a little.

Rebekah looked down at Jackson for a moment, then looked back up at Freya, only to see a shadowy figure standing behind her, the figure's hands on Freya's shoulders. Rebekah stared at the figure, watching as it slowly turned into a tall woman with long, dark flowing hair. She was almost certain who the woman was suppose to be. _Dahlia._

Startled, Rebekah stopped chanting, broke away from Freya and took her hands back. Dahlia faded as soon as the spell was broken, not leaving the slightest trace of her behind. Rebekah looked over at Hayley, but it was clear she was the only one who saw Dahlia.

"Rebekah, we need to continue," Freya insisted.

"No. I won't."

Hayley and Freya both gave Rebekah a look of confusion while Jackson tried to catch his breathe, his heart beating at a rapid rate.

"What is it?" Hayley asked.

"You," Rebekah said, looking Freya in the eye. "You're the reason Dahlia is able to cast the spells she does. She's channeling you!"

"No," Freya shook her head, alarmed by Rebekah's accusation.

"You're lying. You're probably also the witch that allowed Eva Sinclair to regain control of this body."

"No!"

Hayley stepped forward, enraged by the revelation. "All this time you were helping her!"

"I had no _idea_!" Freya pleaded desperately, continuing to shake her head. She paced a little back and forth anxiously. "She must have found me. She's trying to turn you against me!"

Rebekah threw Hayley a look and reluctantly, Hayley took a few steps back, trying to calm herself. "Freya, we're sisters. You saved me from the Fauline Cottage, and you helped save me from Eva Sinclair. I want to trust you, I do... But I can't. You said it yourself, you're _bonded_ to Dahlia. I'm sorry, but it's better that you go. Please."

Freya looked a little hurt, but she didn't bother to say anything in her defense. She knew she was the one who put Rebekah in danger from Eva Sinclair, but if she ever told Rebekah that, if she ever came clean, she could kiss any relationship she could have with her only sister goodbye. Freya turned around and walked away, leaving the compound. Rebekah let out a sigh while Hayley went over to Jackson's side and helped him get back to his feet.

 **Rue St. Louis' Bar & Restaurant...**

"Father and son, working together," Klaus grinned. Mikael lifted the bourbon to sip it, but as soon as he smelled the liquor inside, he grimaced, putting the glass down without drinking a drop of it. "I admit, I never thought I'd see the day."

Mikael didn't smile in return, instead appearing stone faced. "And what makes you think I need _your_ help? Others may tremble at the mere mention of your name. But _I_ know you for who you truly are. A scared little boy desperate for a daddy."

"A thousand years ago, perhaps. But I think we can both agree that over the course of a thousand years, I've become a different kind of beast altogether. Your cruelty made sure of that," Klaus replied, Mikael smirking. "And I am _vicious_ , and _hateful_ , just, like, you. It's precisely those qualities that makes us uniquely suited for murdering that witch."

"And why would I trust you? Esther told me you murdered your own father, your real _father_ , after she went through the trouble of raising him from the dead."

Klaus grimaced at the reminder of Ansel's murder. "Because my daughter's life depends on it. And you love yours, as I love mine. You see, we're fighting for the same thing you and I- to save the lives of the _only ones_ who do not see us as the monsters that we truly are. And for your information, I only killed Ansel for the sake of keeping _my_ child safe. Something I'm sure you would've done as well, were you in my position, granted you might have enjoyed it a little more."

Mikael seemed truly stunned by Klaus' answer, and even a little impressed. "Alright, Niklaus. Tell me what you propose."

 _Author's Note: I apologize if this chapter was a bit on the boring side or told you things you already knew. I hope some of you enjoyed it anyways. Also, a couple of characters are going to bite it over the next ten or so chapters, as to whether they're minor characters, important characters, characters we like or characters we don't like, etc. I'll leave that up to you, my readers, to speculate._


	22. Heart of the Night, Part 4

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part Four

 **The French Quarter...**

Freya walked down the streets of the French Quarter at a somewhat fast rate. Unexpectedly, every local and tourist around stopped in their tracks, all eyes turning to Freya and focusing on her. The people began to walk towards her, surrounding her.

Startled, Freya began to walk slower, carefully looking around while she did. She spotted a young woman whose eyes were completely and utterly white. Freya knew what was going on. _Kenning_. Dahlia was controlling all of these people.

"No," Freya said to herself, alarmed, turning away from the white eyed woman and attempting to make a run for it. "No!"

Before Freya could get too far, Dahlia suddenly appeared in front of her, looking particularly menacing. Freya stopped walking, now standing perfectly still, her heart racing as she stared into her aunt's cold, dark eyes.

"There you are. After all these centuries. My darling Freya."

Freya continued to stare at Dahlia, not looking away for a second. "Dahlia."

Dahlia raised one hand in the air, Freya's eyes widening as she did, waiting to see what Dahlia was going to do. Dahlia snapped her fingers, the kenning spell breaking, and everyone that was just under her influence returned to what they were doing before.

"How convenient that I find you here," Dahlia grinned. "Mere footsteps away from that which is owed to me."

Freya bit her lower lip, her eyes still trained on Dahlia. She didn't say a word in response to what Dahlia just said to her.

Dahlia began to circle around Freya in a predatory manner, continuing to grin wickedly. "Let me guess, you made a promise to your wretched siblings? _'Together we'll fight the wicked witch, side-by-side?'_ " Dahlia mocked. She stopped circling Freya, standing before her again, laughing a little, a laugh that made Freya deeply uncomfortable, though she tried her best not to show it. "Tell me, darling, how did they respond to your overtures? Hmm? Did they welcome you with open arms and weep tears of joy at your _miraculous_ return?"

"What do you want from me Dahlia? Do you want me to tremble at the mere sight of you? To cry like the scared little girl I was when you first took me from my family? I won't. I don't fear you the way I use to, and I refuse to run from you any longer."

Dahlia laughed once more, this time more sarcastically. "You little _bitch_. You always were a selfish, ungrateful child. For centuries, I fed you, clothed you, and cared for you. Granted you powers beyond anything you could have ever dreamed. And still, you yearn for more! Always wishing for another life, never satisfied."

Dahlia thrusted her hand towards Freya, clenching it into a fist, Freya doubling over in pain almost immediately, grabbing her head while she did, to Dahlia's satisfaction.

"Aaah!" Freya whimpered, her knees hitting the ground as she cried out.

"Soon enough, _you_ will _beg_ for me to bring you back into my home," Dahlia taunted. Dahlia raised her fist into the air, forcing Freya into a mystical choke hold, then telekinetically lifting her into the air. "After all, once I am done with these poor souls, I will be the only family you have _left_."

Dahlia opened her hand, releasing Freya. Freya fell to the ground, putting one hand over her throat, gasping for air. Dahlia sneered at her. "You should know better than to defy me – a lesson your brother and father will learn _shortly_."

Freya got to her feet, still trying to catch her breathe. She looked at Dahlia, who still had the same sadistic look on her face she did moments ago. Freya stared at Dahlia hard for a moment, before opening her mouth and impulsively spitting on to her aunt's face.

Dahlia grimaced, clearly disgusted and appalled. Bitterly, she took a handkerchief out of her coat pocket and wiped her face. She glared at Freya one last time, turned around, and waved her hand, magically knocking Freya off her feet and on to the ground.

Freya watched as Dahlia walked away, a fearful look on her face as she thought of her father and all of her remaining brothers, not knowing who Dahlia was referring to.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah was frowning, his arms folded as he listened to Rebekah and Hayley tell him about what happened with Freya earlier. "What do you mean _Freya's gone_?"

"She was a risk-" Hayley argued, but Elijah cut her off, to her annoyance.

"She was also the only one who intimately knew the enemy we now face! The enemy that not only poses a threat to _our_ lives, but the life of _your_ daughter and my niece!"

"Both of you, just stop it-" Rebekah pleaded, jumping into the argument, only for Hayley to talk over her.

"I was protecting my daughter from someone who it's obvious none of us completely trusts. Rebekah even thinks that she might be the one who allowed Eva Sinclair to regain control of her body."

Elijah, a little shocked by the accusation, looked over to Rebekah, who looked back over at him and nodded, confirming what Hayley just said. "Nevertheless, we have no proof that she did indeed do that, all we have to go on is a hunch and the words of our deceitful mother... It's true we've done nothing but doubt Freya since the moment she walked into our lives. However, we do have proof that she did save you Rebekah, from the Fauline Cottage and from Eva Sinclair."

"I know," Rebekah replied quietly, Elijah calming down a little. Rebekah rolled her eyes in frustration. "So what the bloody hell are we supposed to do now?"

Elijah took a deep breathe before answering Rebekah's question. "There is a jazz club in Algiers by the name of the St. James Infirmary. Marcel has acquired it, and the witch Josephine is fortifying it as a sanctuary against magic," Elijah turned to Hayley, looking her in the eye for a change. "Pack your things Hayley. Marcel will escort you, Hope, and your husband there tonight at nine o'clock. It is our best bet for keeping Hope safe while Dahlia is alive and well in the city."

Hayley considered this plan for a moment, then nodded, seemingly accepting it. Elijah turned to Rebekah. "Rebekah, wait here with me."

"What for?"

"If Freya shall return, we will be here. Now, whether we trust her or not, I am certain we cannot _win_ this fight without her," Elijah explained, walking out of the room past Rebekah, leaving her and Hayley alone.

Rebekah looked over to Hayley, who appeared more than a little conflicted. She didn't like the idea that they had to rely on someone she just met, someone they didn't trust, to keep her daughter safe.

 **The French Quarter...**

Klaus, Kol and Davina were in a secluded alley, Davina and Kol setting up for a spell by making a circle of salt on the cement, Klaus standing a few feet away from the circle in front of them. Kol sighed. "This is it, Nik. One last bloody favor, and if you don't give me my ashes, I swear-"

"Settle down, Kol. We're brothers, we've known each other for a thousand years. I thought you would know by now that I am a man of my word," Klaus assured him.

Suddenly, Mikael appeared in the alley way, and began to walk towards them, stopping when he was standing at Klaus' side. Davina looked confused when she saw him, while Kol immediately got to his feet, watching Mikael carefully. Davina stood up as soon as she realized Kol did, reaching for his hand, and without thinking, he gave it to her, clutching it tight.

"Actually, he's a liar, a beast, and a _degenerate_. But in this exceptional instance, he may be of some use," Mikael stated.

Klaus looked over at Mikael and let out a sigh, a tad annoyed. "Oh good, you're back."

"Nik this wasn't part of the deal-" Kol started, but Mikael interrupted him and Klaus didn't seem to pay attention to what Kol just said.

"Dahlia's minion remains within St. Anne's Church."

"Clearly it's a trap," Klaus replied with a smirk on his face.

"Of course it's a trap! And how good is it that we bring surprises of our own," Mikael said as he smirked back at Klaus, to Davina's further confusion.

"Wait, so you two are friends now?" Davina asked in an incredulous tone.

"Absolutely not! We merely aligned out of necessity for the purpose we both enjoy the most- _glorious murder,_ " Klaus grinned, Davina rolling her eyes, while Kol continued to stare at Mikael anxiously. "In fact, you'll be helping."

Kol briefly looked over to Klaus. "You said you needed a _binding_ spell."

Mikael chuckled a little at Kol's obvious discomfort. "And here, little _witches_ , is what you will bind," Mikael said, both him and Davina kneeling over, Mikael pulling two full leather pouches and a bottle of blood out of his pockets, handing them to Davina one at a time. "Soil from Dahlia's homeland, that which links her to this mortal coil. Along with Viking ash, that of her oppressors, the source of her immense hatred. And finally, blood of her adopted child, my beloved daughter Freya, the closest thing to love that _miserable witch_ has ever known."

Davina set all three ingredients inside the salt circle that her and Kol made, staring at them for a moment before looking over to Kol, then over at Mikael. "All the sources of her power bound together create a weakness. So, what do you want us to do?"

"They want us to bind the ingredients to a weapon," Kol answered.

"Precisely, my boy," Mikael replied, Kol looking more than a little startled at the use of the words 'my boy'. Mikael must've known it was him by now; he had vampire hearing, surely he heard Klaus call him brother. But then Mikael did love to neglect him and treat him as though he didn't exist.

Davina sarcastically raised her eyebrows at Mikael. "Well, am I suppose to go to the toy store and get a slingshot?"

Mikael rolled his eyes, taking a knife out of one of his coat pockets and handing it to Davina. "Use this."

Klaus took a knife out of one of his coat pockets as well and handed it over to Kol. "Use this as well, we're making more than one weapon. We can't afford to take any chances, what with my daughter's safety on the line and what not," Klaus paused, looking at both Kol and Davina hard for a moment. "Do this favor, help us end this evil witch's reign, and I _will_ live up to my end of our bargain. I swear it on my Hope's life."

"I hope you all know what you're doing," Davina replied after hesitating for a moment.

 _ **The New World, a Forest outside the Mikaelson Village, the 10th Century...**_

 _Mikael looked furious, staring down at both Klaus and Kol, though he seemed to be looking more at Kol than he did Klaus. Kol looked no older than the age of seven, while Klaus looked to be around the age of ten or eleven. Klaus and Kol stared back into their father's eyes fearfully, as if they were expecting him to start beating them at any moment. They were in the forest near their village, Elijah and Rebekah were at the village with Esther while Finn was off by himself elsewhere._

" _I want to know which one of you did it," Mikael demanded. "Before I have to beat the both of you. And do not think I will not do it."_

 _Klaus looked over at Kol for a moment, out of the corner of his eye, noticing just how frightened his little brother was. He knew for certain that Kol was the one who played a trick on their father, but clearly Kol did not know just how badly their father would react. Kol thought he was just having some fun. But Mikael would never accept that. Mikael would beat him, and Klaus didn't want his little brother to know just how awful it was to be struck by your own father. He cared for his little brother too much to let something like that happen._

" _...I-I did it," Klaus said, stepping forward, trying to force a brave look on his face. Kol tried to hide the shock on his face from Klaus taking the fall for him._

 _Mikael smirked, now staring hard at Kol. "Do not think about leaving Kol. You will watch as I punish Niklaus, you will not say a word and you will speak of it to no one," Mikael ordered before redirecting his attention to a terrified Klaus._

" _Please, father, Kol does not-"_

 _Before Klaus could finish, Mikael hit him across the face with the back of his hand, to Kol's horror, who gasped as he watched it happen._

 **The Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Several male werewolves were standing around the courtyard of the compound when Freya entered, a distressed look on her face. The werewolf guards began to surround Freya, blocking her from going any further. "I need to see Elijah, it's urgent," Freya insisted, but the werewolves refused to move.

Rebekah stepped out into the courtyard, addressing the werewolves first and explaining to them who Freya was. Reluctantly, the werewolves moved aside and allowed Rebekah to approach Freya. "I'm actually glad you're here," Rebekah said to Freya with a half hearted smile on her face.

Suddenly, using his enhanced vampire speed, Elijah came into the courtyard, looking relieved at the sight of his older sister. "Freya."

"I saw her. Dahlia. She greeted me in person after I left the compound. She intends to make her move tonight. Our father and by the looks of it, Niklaus, will be her next victims if we fail to act quickly," Freya warned.

Elijah frowned anxiously. "And you have returned to warn the very people who cast you out, one of whom accused you of putting her life in great danger?" Elijah gave Rebekah a sharp look, but all Rebekah did was roll her eyes at him.

"I.." Freya paused, as if she was struggling to get the words out of her mouth. She considered coming clean to her siblings right then and there, telling them exactly what she did to Rebekah to further her own agenda, which was to kill Dahlia regardless of the cost. But this wasn't the time and place for it.

Rebekah and Elijah looked at Freya curiously for a moment. "I understand you're mistrust. But I did _not_ come this far to see my family die at the hands of the very evil that I've tried for _so long_ to escape. I refuse to let Dahlia harm this family any further. I'm begging you. Help me save them."

"Tell me what you need and I will get it for you," Elijah promised.

"Dahlia will lure them into a trap. She prefers places of darkness. She'll be drawn to any site that's been steeped in death."

"Well, that narrows it down to just about the entire city," Rebekah replied sarcastically.

Freya shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm talking about dark power created by massacre. Sacred ground that's been stained with the blood of the innocent."

Rebekah and Elijah both immediately thought of St. Anne's Church.

 **St. Anne's Catholic Church...**

Klaus and Mikael opened the front doors of the St. Anne's Church, slowly walking inside, taking note of their surroundings as they made their way down the aisle. Mikael was tightly gripping his knife in one hand that Davina had enchanted with Dahlia's weaknesses.

"Well?" Klaus raised his voice. "What are you waiting for, you crone?"

Klaus and Mikael continued to wander around the Church. "Now that you've arrived, not a thing!" a feminine voice replied. Klaus and Mikael looked over at the sacristy at the back end of the church where the voice was coming from, a tall woman with long, dark hair suddenly appearing next to it, who Mikael instantly recognized as his sister-in-law. _Dahlia._

 **Author's Note:** _To the guest reviewer who asked for more Cami and Klamille scenes, I will try my best to do this. I do love Cami, just coming up with scenes for her character that fit organically into the story isn't always the easiest thing to do. We haven't really been given a lot of background for the character (they should really work on that), so that means having to fill in some of the blanks myself. Once again I appreciate everyone who is still following this story, and to any new readers who've just found this story, hello and I hope you like it so far. By the way, if anyone has the urge to tell me my flashbacks to the Mikaelsons early life could use a bit of work... I know. All I have to say in my defense is that they're harder to write than what you would think._

 _Finally, Dante 101 came up with the idea of giving Freya more of a backbone in this chapter when it came to coming face to face with Dahlia again for the first time in the present day._


	23. Heart of the Night, Part 5

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part Five

 **St. Anne's Catholic Church...**

Dahlia glanced at the knife Mikael was gripping in one hand, tilting her head curiously to the side. She had a blank look on her face as she raised both her hands into the air, dozens of humans coming in from all entrances into the main room of the Church, forming a sort of mob around Klaus and Mikael. They could tell that every one of them had been magically coerced into doing Dahlia's bidding.

"Let us... begin," Dahlia said with a wicked grin on her face.

Klaus and Mikael looked around at the large crowd of people surrounding them. Mikael chuckled before looking over to Klaus. "We are well-met. So be it. Are you ready Niklaus?"

Klaus smirked back at Mikael. "I was born ready."

With that, Klaus and Mikael vamped out, embracing their inner monsters, and lunge at Dahlia's mindless minions. As the fight rages on, Klaus and Mikael effortlessly snap the necks of many of the minions, tossing others across the room. They were convinced they had the upper hand, but after a moment Dahlia raised her hands and made a strange gesture towards the crowd.

After Klaus and Mikael took out another several humans, one of Dahlia's minions, a woman, raised her hand into a fist and gave Klaus a mystical migraine, forcing him to fall to his knees and hold his head in pain. Shortly afterwards, another magically-enhanced human does the same to Mikael, Mikael struggling to fight it off. Pain was something to be overcome for him, not something to succumb to. But the pain was too great for even him to bear. Just like Klaus, he fell to his knees and held his head in pain as well.

Dahlia made her hands into fists and the pain in Klaus and Mikael's heads ceased. The two of them panted for breath on their knees, while Dahlia smiled at them patronizingly. "Ah. Agh... I should have warned you! My acolytes are rather formidable," Dahlia laughed a little. Klaus and Mikael slowly got to their feet, still weakened from Dahlia's magic. "I gifted them with a fraction of my own power..."

Dahlia's minion who gave Klaus the migraine thrusted her hand forward again, telekinetically throwing Mikael across the church. Mikael landed on top of a pew and broke it into pieces. Klaus glared intensely at Dahlia, waiting to see what she was going to do next. "...To help level the playing field," Dahlia continued.

Klaus impulsively lunged at Dahlia, only for Dahlia to wave one hand, telekinetically throwing Klaus so high that he smashes through the railing of the balcony before falling forward and landing in the aisle below. A trail of fresh blood ran down from Klaus' forehead. "So strong you Mikaelsons claim to be. Yet so easily can you be defeated."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Jackson was in his and Hayley's bedroom inside the compound, sitting on the end of the bed and looking through the map of the Bayou he drew inside his leather-bound journal. Jackson had a perplexed look on his face as he stared down at the map.

Jackson turned his head to look behind him as he heard knocking on the open door, seeing Aiden standing there in the open doorway. "Aiden, come on in and shut the door behind you," Jackson greeted him with a friendly smile on his face.

Aiden walked into the room and closed the door behind him, joining Jackson. "You're my right hand man Aiden," Jackson continued. "You've always been loyal, brave. I want you to know I don't take that for granted."

"...I know you don't," Aiden replied nervously, thinking of his secret alliance with Klaus when Jackson called him loyal.

"Marcel's coming to take Hayley, Hope and I to this _safe house_ of sorts. But it's only a matter of time before Dahlia finds us there. And then what? She's a powerful witch, we know this. More powerful than any witch I've ever seen before. It's not Hayley's battle. It's not her daughter's battle either."

Aiden had a confused look on his face. "Jack, why are you telling me this?"

"The Bayou. I know every inch of it, so do you. Out there, we're the predator. I can keep my family _safe_. At the very least, it will buy us some time to figure out how to get rid of Dahlia for good. I want to take Hayley and Hope there, not some old jazz club in Algiers."

"Have you talked this over with Hayley?"

"No. Not yet. I just thought of it."

Aiden looked at Jackson incredulously. "How do you know she would even agree to this? On top of that, Klaus would kill you if you did this behind his back. In a very gruesome way."

"You think for one minute that I'm scared of what Klaus will do to me if I don't do as he says?"

"I think _I'm_ scared of what Klaus will do to you, even if you're not. I know you hate being under the thumb of someone else, but if you try and pull one over on Klaus, he will find out, he has his ways. And when he does find out... like I said, kill you in a very gruesome way. And I'm not willing to lose you over something like this."

 **St. Anne's Catholic Church...**

Mikael was still laying awkwardly on the remnants of the smashed pew. The enchanted knife that he planned to use to kill Dahlia was now laying several feet away from him on the floor, having lost it when he was thrown through the air. He also now had a few shallow cuts on his face. Determined to kill Dahlia, Mikael picked himself up and got back on his feet. He briefly looked over to Klaus, who was still picking himself up, and nodded at him encouragingly.

After a moment, Klaus and Mikael got back into the fight against Dahlia's minions, snapping more necks and biting and drinking the blood of some to give them strength. Despite Dahlia enhancing her minions through her magic, the two men eventually gain the upper-hand again. As they fight violently against the humans, Mikael and Klaus growled loudly as sort of a war cry, to Dahlia's amusement, who didn't seem the least bit afraid of them. In her mind, everything was still going according to plan.

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Aiden stood in the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, a deeply conflicted look on his face. Every time he talked with Klaus, he was stabbing Jackson in the back. Jackson who had been his friend longer than anyone else had. Part of him was telling him to come clean to Jackson about his allegience to Klaus, another part of him told him not to. Friend or no friend, Jackson wasn't exactly good leadership material. He didn't think things through ahead of time, always thought with his heart instead of his brain, like a good leader would. Aiden had no doubt that he would make a better alpha any day of the week.

Josh suddenly appeared in the courtyard, a somewhat apologetic look on his face, to Aiden's mild confusion. "Josh, hey!"

"Okay, look, before you say anything, I'm sorry I lied to you about my sketchy phone call with Klaus this morning. I'm a jerk," Josh opened with. Aiden stared at him for a minute, his confusion only growing before he connected the dots and realized what Josh was referring to. Aiden let out a sigh. "Wait, my bad! I accidentally did _your side_ of the conversation. Let's start over! _You_ go."

Aiden bit his lower lip. "You overheard the phone call."

"Uh, yeah," Josh replied, pointing towards one ear. "Vampire hearing dude. Comes in handy sometimes. You _can_ turn it on and off, but I'm nosy. Particularly when my boyfriend is conducting secret business with the guy, who, you know, murdered me on my spring break. Then you know, used me to spy on Marcel when I came back from the dead against my will."

Aiden looked at Josh guiltily, reminded of what Klaus had put Josh through specifically. "I... it's complicated. I didn't... I didn't want to get you involved, okay?"

Josh frowned. "Involved in what?"

Aiden leaned over and kissed Josh on one cheek before patting Josh affectionately on the shoulders. "It's nothing, okay? Got it all taken care of," he forced a fake smile on his face, turning around to walk away, only for Josh to grab him by the arm, stopping him. Reluctantly, Aiden turned around to face him again.

"What is going on with you?"

"Nothing to worry about," Aiden replied awkwardly.

" _Please_. Whatever it is, I know what it's like to be in league with Klaus. Just, tell me. Let me help you. I'm not going to judge you."

Aiden sighed again, looking at Josh anxiously, really trying to avoid dragging Josh into things. "I don't know what to do. Jackson and Klaus are at odds with one another, and Jackson just talked me to about trying to escape to the Bayou with Hayley and the baby. And if Jackson actually does try to pull something like that off, and I knew about it, and Klaus found out-"

"He would cut your head off with a dull butter knife."

Aiden nodded. "But Jackson's been looking out for me since we were kids. I can't just stab him in the back like this."

Josh gave Aiden a worried look. "I'm not sure you have a choice."

"He's part of my pack! Not just part of it, he's my _alpha_. You don't know what that's like."

"You don't have to be a Crescent Wolf to love your friends Aiden," Josh said with a half smile, Aiden nodding in response. Look, it's fine, we're gonna-we're gonna figure this out. Okay?"

Aiden didn't smile or nod, just looked at Josh with a panicked expression on his face. Josh put both hands on Aiden's face, leaned in, and kissed him. He could hear Aiden's heart beating at a rapid rate, which did nothing but worry Josh further. He slowly broke away from the kiss, still holding Aiden's face in his hands, and smiling at him reassuringly. "Okay?"

 **St. Anne's Catholic Church...**

Klaus and Mikael stood in the middle of the aisle triumphantly, their faces covered in blood, some of it their own, some of it belonging to Dahlia's minions. Most of her minions were now either lying dead or unconscious on the floor, incapable of fighting any further.

Klaus and Mikael began to walk slowly towards the altar that Dahlia stood in front of. Dahlia dramatically slow clapped for the pair, a sinister looking smile on her face. "Bravo. Quite the operatic performance. Though, that is the thing with these _grand_ tragedies," Dahlia paused, watching as Mikael tightened the grip on the enchanted knife in his one hand, having retrieved it after losing it. "In the end, few are ever left still – alive," she finished, thrusting her hands out forward and clenching them into fists.

Klaus and Mikael both moaned in pain as all of their muscles began to cease up. Mikael's grip on the knife loosened, and he dropped it to the floor. Dahlia then unclenched her fists and waved one hand, the knife flying through the air towards her. She caught it by the handle with her left hand, just seconds later the blade would have went through her face. She put the knife away in one of her coat pockets, watching as Klaus and Mikael fell to the floor once more, this time their skin turning grey, veins underneath becoming more visible. They were desiccating.

In spite of the fact that Klaus could feel himself growing weaker by the second, he crawled weakly towards Dahlia, Mikael following. "I'm curious, what do you two hope to do now? I've taken away your only weapon that could possibly harm me. Why don't you maintain some dignity and admit defeat already?"

"...Never," Klaus spat.

Dahlia sighed. She waved one hand and Klaus went flying through the air yet again, this time being knocked unconscious as he landed on to the floor, shrivelled up and bloody. Dahlia looked over at Mikael, a furious look on her face. "And you," she said angrily, walking towards Mikael, who was struggling to get up to face her, only getting up on to his knees. "Husband of my sister. The man whose man enslaved me, treated me like some wild animal. You, I would like to make suffer."

"You've made him suffer enough," a feminine voice interrupted. Dahlia turned her head, surprised to see Freya walking towards her. "After all, you did take his first born child away from him, telling Esther to lie to him, claiming that I had died from the plague. Have you not already had your vengeance, Dahlia?"

Dahlia looked at Freya, appalled. "My Freya. You would ask me to show this man, no, this _beast_ , mercy? You know him for who he truly is, I know you do."

Freya nodded. "Yes. But he is my father. And he would not be the man he is today had I not been taken from him."

"You really think so? Naive Freya. You do realize that this so-called _family_ of yours is simply using you for your power, don't you?" Dahlia said as she walked closer towards Freya.

Mikael reached out and grabbed a broken piece of wood, wielding it like a weapon.

"No. You're the one who used me! For a thousand years!" Freya responded, Dahlia sighing in frustration. "No more."

Dahlia smirked as she glanced at the blue pendant on Freya's talisman for a moment. "I see you trapped little Finn inside the pendant. Can I ask why? Did you come back and find your brother wasn't the boy you remembered?"

Tears formed in the corner of Freya's eyes, "Enough. Let's end this."

"If you insist."

Dahlia raised one hand and telekinetically lifted Freya off her feet, putting her into a mystical choke hold. Freya clutched her throat desperately, gasping for air.

"NOOO!" Mikael shouted, getting to his feet and lunging at Dahlia. He pounced on her, stabbing her in the abdomen with the piece of wood he had, distracting her long enough that she released Freya. " _STAY_ _AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!_ "he bellowed _._

Dahlia groaned in pain as Mikael tried to drive the piece of wood into her abdomen further, attempting to impale her. Freya was currently unconscious on the floor after Dahlia choked her, but still alive. While the three of them were busy, Elijah snuck into the room using his vampire speed, rushing over to Klaus with a worried expression on his face. He forced an unconscious Klaus to sit upright, supporting his head. Elijah opened his mouth, allowing his fangs to pop out before biting into an artery on his wrist. Elijah then placed his bleeding wrist against Klaus' mouth, waiting for Klaus to wake up and start feeding on him to recover.

Despite the pain from the wood lodged into her, Dahlia telekinetically threw Mikael across the room, pulling the wood out of her shortly afterwards.

"Foolish Viking, don't you know I'm too powerful to be killed?"

Klaus' eyes opened, his fangs extending as he let the vampire in him take over, biting down on Elijah's wrist and instinctively grabbing on to Elijah's arm with both hands. Elijah grunted as Klaus drank some of his blood.

Dahlia drew the enchanted knife out of her coat pocket. "Such an interesting little trinket. We all have weaknesses. You came here to exploit mine. And, in doing so, you lost the _one_ thing you could have used against me," Dahlia taunted, Klaus getting to his feet, dusting himself off. "How unfortunate for you."

Klaus and Elijah rushed over to Dahlia to confront her, Mikael joining them. Before they could catch up to her, Dahlia vanished into thin air, the knife disappearing with her. The three of them searched the room with their eyes for a moment, only for Dahlia to suddenly reappear behind them, near the basin used for holy water. Dahlia dropped the knife into the basin, then waved her hand over it, causing the knife to burst into flames. The three of them looked devastated as the knife burned, Dahlia smiling triumphantly.

"Now that we've disposed of that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand? After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you _all_ may live. Even the Viking, _though_ I can't understand for the life of me any affection for him you may have. Deny me, and, well... you've had a taste of my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more."

Dahlia vanished again, the flame that had consumed the knife dissipating as she did, but the knife was already destroyed beyond repair.

 **Outside the Mikaelson Compound...**

Jackson stood outside the Mikaelson Compound, watching as Marcel and Hayley helped a crying Hope into the car seat Marcel had set up in the back. He couldn't help but disagree with Klaus' plan to keep Hope safe. He had a feeling Dahlia would find them at this safe house, and then they would have nowhere to run, and they would be forced to give up the baby, or die trying to stop her, obviously neither option sounded very appealing to him.

Hayley sat herself down next to Hope in the car, talking to her, trying to reassure the crying infant that everything was going to be okay. Marcel looked over to Jackson. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Jackson nodded. "Everything's fine."

"Alright. Get in the car then, we're off to Algiers. Right now, that club is the safest place in town."

 **Bywater Tavern...**

Aiden and Josh were sitting at a bar next to one another on separate bar stools, Aiden drinking a beer. "God, how I could be so stupid? The moment Klaus looked at me... I should have ran in the opposite direction. Josh, I'm so sorry about all this."

Yeah, me too," Josh replied, before rolling his eyes sarcastically. "I mean, mainly because if Klaus hurts you, I'm _gonna_ have to seek vengeance – psycho-ninja-style – and I think we both know how that's gonna go."

Aiden smiled a little, laughing bitterly before taking another drink of his beer. Josh turned to look at Aiden. "Hey," he said, Aiden turning to look at him as well. "This isn't your fault. No more than it was my fault for getting my neck snapped in some crappy dive-bar. These things... happen-"

"Don't say for a reason," Aiden interrupted.

"No, they just... happen."

"Yeah," Aiden whispered to himself.

Josh squeezed Aiden's arm comfortingly. "Aiden, I've kind of been on my own my whole life. And now I'm not, and I don't even care. Because of you. You are _my_ pack. You, and Marcel, and Davina. And yeah, I'd die for you, because I don't think I could go back to how it was before."

Aiden seemed genuinely touched Josh's words for a moment. "Look, we will figure this out. Together," Aiden promised.

 **Author's Note:** _One last chapter left of 2x18, Heart of the Night. I hope the fight scenes in this chapter weren't written too hard to follow. And remember, there's still one knife out there that's been crafted to kill Dahlia that she didn't get the chance to burn (she doesn't know that though)._


	24. Heart of the Night, Part 6

Episode 18: Heart of the Night

Part Six

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus sat at the bar inside the living area of the Mikaelson compound, drinking a bottle of scotch, a somewhat defeated look on his face. They had the opportunity to kill Dahlia right then and there in the church, and they missed it. Not that they wouldn't get another chance, he was sure they would, Dahlia wasn't going to give up, and he still had a weapon forged that could kill her. Still, there was no telling how much damage was going to do in the mean time.

Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, Freya and Mikael entered into the room. While Klaus heard them come in, he didn't turn around, instead facing away from them. "Well that sounds like a bloody fiasco," Rebekah said, looking over at Elijah. "Where's Dahlia now?"

Elijah sighed. "She could be anywhere. There wasn't a trace of her left in the church."

"And she's truly unaware that you crafted more than one weapon? Are you certain of this?" Freya asked, looking over to Mikael.

"Yes. Niklaus and I made two," Mikael replied firmly.

"And where is the other, the one she didn't destroy?"

"I have it," Klaus replied, turning around on his barstool to look at Freya. "Fortunately Dahlia didn't know I had it on me. Which means we get another bite at the apple."

"How could you both have been so foolish, as to rush into a fight against Dahlia? After everything I've told you about her. You knew it would take more than just the two of you to finish her," Freya pointed out, Mikael a little surprised at Freya openly criticizing him. "Or did you underestimate her?"

Klaus smirked. "It wasn't entirely foolish. We now know her face, we've taken her measure. If that's the best she's got, quite frankly, I'm unimpressed."

"You're lying. She weakened you, effortlessly. If she wanted to, she could have ended you tonight," Mikael added.

"Am I hearing things, or did Nik just exchange words with our father?" Rebekah asked incredulously.

Mikael glanced at Rebekah for a moment before smiling. "Rebekah. I'd know that _wicked_ tongue anywhere. Tell me, what mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing."

Kol couldn't believe it. It took hardly any time at all for Mikael to recognize Rebekah in a new body. Yet his father never recognized him after he was placed in Kaleb's body.

Klaus growled. "Enough. My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end. Do let the door hit you on the way out, _father_."

Mikael's smile faded. He now had a blank expression on his face. "Well, I imagine I'll be seeing you again soon enough. After all, there is still a _witch_ that needs to be _killed_. Do try and not let your impulse get in the way next time. If she destroys that knife you have on you-"

"I'm not terribly concerned about that. All we need to make more is Norwegian soil, some of Freya's blood, and... ah yes, viking ash. Which is indeed rare in this day and age. Fortunately we happen to have a Viking in the family. _One_ who could be reduced to ash if the situation called for it," Klaus interrupted, Mikael amused a little at Klaus threatening him, while Freya suddenly grew nervous at the thought that Klaus might try to kill her father if he had to, if it meant protecting Hope.

 **Elijah's Loft...**

Elijah and Gia were sitting on the couch next to one another in the living room of Elijah's loft. "So, you ever going to tell me what was with threatening Josephine earlier all _Klaus_ style?" Gia asked.

Elijah paused. "I may put on a mask of civility Gia, but I'm still a vampire. A vampire who is capable of being every bit the monster his brother can be at times. A thousand years ago, there was a young girl in my village, named Tatia, who I loved, and who loved me back. And shortly after I became a vampire, I... killed her. I killed Tatia."

Gia looked both confused and startled by this bit of new information. "Why?"

"My bloodlust overwhelmed me."

"But that wasn't your fault."

"Isn't it though? Tell me Gia, you've been a newborn vampire for some time now. Have you ever killed anyone?"

Gia paused. "No. I haven't. But then I wasn't an original either. And I have other people coaching me through it. Which you didn't by the sounds of it."

"She wasn't the only one I've ever killed. I've racked up quite the body count after a thousand years of life, which you might argue was to be expected. I'm a killer Gia. And if Josephine wasn't going to do as I asked, then something terrible might have happened to her too. No, it would've. Because she wouldn't lift a finger to help my niece. And protecting Hope is my priority right now."

 **Kol's "Playhouse"** / **The Claire Tomb...**

Kol began to stare at the beautiful urn he had just placed on the table with a sense of wonder in his eyes. Klaus held up his end of the bargain. Inside that urn was the ashes of his original body, the body he was born into, the body that had been infected with vampirism for a thousand years now. He hated not being able to practise magic as a vampire, it was a constant reminder that he was a creature that nature never wanted to exist. But as a vampire, he wasn't so vulnerable, as he was now, in Kaleb's body. He would be practically indestructible if he reconstructed his original body, unless he got a white oak stake to the heart again. He wouldn't have to worry about being so vulnerable as a vampire. But then as a vampire, he would have to worry about the horrible hunger that came with being what he was, the urge to consume copious amounts of human blood. He would also feel everything more deeply than he did right now, emotion wise. That would include his growing feelings for a certain Harvest girl. That was easily the part about becoming a vampire again that scared him the most.

 **Rousseau's...**

Klaus sat on one barstool while Cami sat on another, Cami having a drink while Klaus didn't. He looked at Cami with concern. "You remember, all of what my mother did while in your body?" he asked.

"...Mostly. There's still a few holes here and there. I remember the conversation you had with her after Freya snapped your neck," Cami replied.

Klaus gave Cami a sympathetic look. "Most of the time, those who have been possessed don't remember a thing of what the invading spirit did with their body. But I have met people who remember everything. Fortunately my mother didn't do anything too terrible while inside your body."

"Maybe not. But that night, that night where Finn broke into my apartment and put Esther's spirit inside of me... I didn't think I was ever going to get my body back. I thought the only way I would be freed from the possession was if I-"

"If you died," Klaus interrupted, Cami nodding. "I would never have let that happen."

"I know you think that. But Finn could've killed me that night, instead of turning me into a vessel for your mother. You might have come too late to save me. And there would've been nothing you could do about."

Klaus looked into Cami's eyes deeply for a moment. "I'm sorry for what Finn did to you, Cami. If I hadn't broke Freya's neck-"

"This isn't your fault Klaus. I was the one who was stupid enough to let Finn into my life, to manipulate him into going out on a date with me. And then double crossed him and handed him over to be captured and held hostage for days on end."

"Finn would never have crossed paths with you, if it weren't for his hatred for _me_ and my siblings."

"I know what I was getting myself into Klaus, the moment I decided to stay in New Orleans even after finding out it was a supernatural melting pot. I just never thought... that I'd have to worry about losing my own body to someone else so easily."

 **The Lyonne Tomb...**

Freya entered into the Lyonne Tomb where she had left Esther and Mikael earlier. Esther was now laying on the floor of the tomb, desiccated, two large open wounds in her neck where Mikael had bit her before he left, nearly draining her of every last drop of blood in Lenore's body. Freya approached Esther's desiccated body for a moment, frowning. She took a small knife out, drawing a few drops of blood from both her index finger and her middle finger on one hand. She then placed the bloody fingers to Esther's lips and began to chant.

 **The French Quarter...**

Josephine was walking down the street, at night, past the Mikaelson compound, when she came across a violin player, who had her back turned to her. Josephine stood perfectly still for a long moment as she listened to the violinist play, smiling all the while.

"Your technique is... exquisite," Josephine said admiringly.

The violinist turned around, revealing herself to be Dahlia. Dahlia flashed Josephine a friendly smile. "Do you play?" she asked, putting the violin back in its black case and laying it on the ground beside her.

Josephine looked down at her swollen hands with a grim look on her face before laughing bitterly. "No. Not in some time I'm afraid."

Dahlia took Josephine's hands into her own for a moment. "Allow me to help you change that," Dahlia replied, still smiling. She bent over, took a deep breathe in, and blew on Josephine's hexed hands. After a moment, Josephine flexed her fingers, and gasped, in disbelief that she had been healed. Her eyes filled with tears of joy as she examined her hands for a minute. Dahlia stood up straight again and Josephine smiled warmly at her.

"Dahlia, I assume?"

Dahlia bowed dramatically. "Indeed. Now, if you'll beg my pardon, Madame, I must use you to send a message to _all_ those who might side against me.

Josephine nodded strangely, overwhelmed at the turn of events unfolding before her. "I suppose there's no promises an old witch could make to another?"

Dahlia's smile faded, looking at Josephine with sympathy in her eyes. "Sadly, my dear, there's nothing you can do for me that I cannot do for myself."

Josephine gulped nervously, nodding again. She gestured towards Dahlia's violin case. "May I, then? One last tune?"

Dahlia lifted one finger, telekinetically opened the violin case, lifting the violin into the air and over into Josephine's hands. Once Josephine had grabbed a hold of the violin, Dahlia put her finger down, a patient look on her face.

Josephine held the violin up and began to play an upbeat melody, taking great pleasure in the fact that she was playing for the first time in decades.

When the song was done, Dahlia shushed her, staring into Josephine's eyes deeply for a moment, as though she were hypnotizing her. Dahlia took the violin bow from her and used it to swiftly slit Josephine's throat. Blood ran down from the open wound immediately, Josephine's eyes rolling back as she collapsed on to the ground, dropping the violin down beside her.

A puddle of blood formed around Josephine's neck as she quickly bled out, dying in the streets of New Orleans. Dahlia looked down at Josephine intently, a stoic look on her face. Once she was sure Josephine was truly dead, she knelt down next to her. She swallowed before taking a small knife out of her coat pocket. She waved her hand over Josephine's chest, a large hole in Josephine's shirt appearing, exposing her bare chest.

Dahlia placed the knife against Josephine's chest and began to cut into Josephine's chest. Once she was done, she put the knife down, reaching through the open wound she had created with the knife and pulling out Josephine's heart with her right hand. She then sealed up the wound with another wave of her hand, putting Josephine's non beating heart into the pocket that she pulled the knife out of. Before getting up, she leaned over and kissed Josephine on the forehead.

 _ **Author's Note:** The last chapter of 2x18 AU. Next is 2x19, Steppin' Out Under the Moon. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, if you're wondering, yes the "There were moments" conversation or an equivalent of will still take place between Klaus and Mikael later on, it just won't end in Klaus successfully killing and you won't have to worry about Hayley ever joining in on Jackson's plan to run to the Bayou in this story._


	25. Steppin' Out Under the Moon, Part 1

Episode 19: Steppin' Out Under the Moon

Part One

 _ **Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait, I know I took a bit longer to update than usual, I've been really busy the last few days. But the latest chapter's here now, I hope everyone enjoys it, and thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. To the guest reader who wanted to know if there would be more Hayley/Elijah scenes coming up, there will be. I hope to give each pairing enough attention, while hopefully not turning away anyone who doesn't care for the pairings present in this story, or just doesn't want the story to focus too much on the romance aspect._

 **Unknown Location...**

Finn took a step forward, water splashing around his foot. He examined his surroundings; the sky was cloudless and a pale blue colour. The ground was flat and even everywhere, not that that mattered considering the ground was flooded in a couple inches of water. He kept waiting for the place to change. But it hadn't so far. It had looked the same for days now. Or weeks. Or months. Or years. He had no way of telling time here. Wherever here was. The last he remembered, he was begging Freya to put him out of his misery, and Freya responded by casting a spell he didn't recognize. The next thing he knew he was here. In some kind of mystical prison. Or maybe he was dead and this was his afterlife. He had no way of knowing for sure. What he did know was that in here, he looked the way he did before he got staked by that teenage boy.

Suddenly, a tall, dark brown haired woman appeared several feet away from him, a sinister grin on her face. She was wearing a long, flowing black coat, and underneath a long-sleeved blouse, fitted pants, and high heeled boots. Slowly, the woman walked closer and closer towards him, but he did not attempt to run away from her, or evade her.

"Hello, Finn. My how you've grown. You couldn't have been any older than the age of four last I saw you," the woman said.

Finn took a step back, staring at the woman with pure fear in his eyes. "Dahlia."

"Yes. While your fear does amuse me, unfortunately I have no time for it. You see I'm on a fixed schedule, as I imagine your treacherous sister has told you by now."

"Get away from me," Finn warned, taking another couple of steps back, Dahlia sighing. Finn then turned around and began to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Finn didn't get very far before Dahlia randomly appeared in front of him, as if she had teleported, blocking his path.

"What do you want from me Dahlia?" Finn asked, terrified, trying to catch his breathe.

"I only want to help you Finn. You see, I know what you want most right now. I understand. You want to rid the world of vampires, the abominations your mother and my sister created, because of all the _pain_ they've caused you. I know that to you right now I am the wicked witch who stole your _beloved_ Freya from you and ruined your family... Allow me to make up for that. I will bring you back into the world, find you a new host body, and together, we will destroy the vampires. Every last undead fiend. In exchange, all I ask, all I want, is Niklaus' child."

Finn frowned, not even considering Dahlia's offer. "As much as I may _loathe_ vampires, I _loathe_ you more Dahlia. Because of you, I grew up without the sister I loved. But you didn't just take away Freya. You took away my father, after you took Freya, he was never the same! He became cold, and monstrous... Because of you, I lived in fear all my mortal life, never allowing myself to love, never allowing myself to feel the joy of having children, because I knew if I did, you would come for the first born, like you came for Freya. I would rot inside her talisman for all eternity before allying myself with you. A rotten, child stealing, witch."

Dahlia sighed. "I'm going to give you a chance to reconsider my offer Finn. And should you deny me again, I will leave. Then the only hope you'll have of ever escaping this prison is if your sister decides to let you out. Which could be tomorrow, a century from now... or never. Your choice."

Finn considered Dahlia's offer for a moment. "No. _That_ is my choice. I will never side with you. If my hypocratic mother taught me anything, it's that a deal with you is the most foolish mistake someone could make. You may leave now."

Dahlia smirked. "I'll respect your decision, as stupid as it may be. Just know that I gave you a way out. And that I never intended to cause you the harm I did. One never takes into consideration who is indirectly affected by their actions. Farewell Finn."

Dahlia turned around, raised a fist into the air, and snapped her fingers. She briefly transformed into a cloud of black smoke before disappearing altogether. Finn watched, his eyes wide, as if he was in shock of what he just experienced.

 **Lafayette Cemetery, the Sinclair Tomb...**

Kol, Davina and Freya were in the same tomb that the Mikaelsons used to invade Eva's mind space and destroy her consciousness. Kol was pouring a large amount of dark brown, creamy-looking fluid into a stone coffin, which was surrounded by a circle made of salt. Davina was carrying a clear jar containing the ashes of Kol's original body, standing several feet away from Kol, next to Freya.

Kol smiled widely, looking over at Davina and Freya when he was done pouring the fluid in. "We're almost ready. We just need to put the ashes in, Freya uses her power to turn dirt and ash into flesh and bone, and voila – my original body will be good to go," Kol paused, examing his hands for a moment which were covered in mud. He frowned. "Though looking back at it, I should have worn some gloves. Oh well."

Davina laughed a little nervously. It was going to be weird seeing Kol with his original face. It was also going to be weird meeting Kol as a vampire, the Kol he was before she met him, the Kol that she knew now killed tens of thousands of people. Still, he had changed now, she truly believed that. And he promised her that he would kill no innocent people as a vampire.

"Hand me the ashes now love?" Kol asked Davina.

Davina walked over to Kol and gave him the jar full of his ashes. Kol glanced back at the mixture of soil and water he created inside the stone coffin. He turned his body and slowly and carefully, poured the ashes into the coffin.

Freya then joined Kol and Davina by the stone coffin, standing on the left side of the coffin while Kol and Davina stood on the right. Kol's smile faded and an anxious look on his face appeared, a similar look on Davina's face. Freya lifted her arms up and thrusted her hands forward over the coffin.

" _Fian en che en kanu! Fian en che en kanu!"_ Freya chanted, Kol only growing more anxious/nervous.

Every candle set up in the tomb lit up as Freya continued to chant.

" _Fian en che en kanu! Fian en che en kanu!"_ Freya chanted, now speaking louder and with more passion. Kol took a few steps back, grabbing Davina's hand and pulling her back with him.

The entire tomb shook for a moment, and every lit candle suddenly went out, the candles starting to melt at a rapid rate. Freya stopped chanting, a pleased look on her face.

Kol stepped forward, gesturing to Davina to stay where she was. He looked inside the coffin with Freya. Inside the coffin, was Kol's original body, naked, the skin looked greyish and dessicated, submerged in the water Kol had poured inside the coffin earlier. The creamy liquid he had poured in and the ashes were gone, used to recreate the body that had been destroyed.

"Is it – did it work?" Davina asked nervously.

"It did," Freya replied with a smile. "Come and see for yourself."

Kol didn't react to what Freya had just said. Instead, he stared down at his recreated body longing, admiring it. He reached one hand into the water and gently touched the face, Kol smiling all the while. He slowly moved his hand down, touching the neck, then making his down to his chest.

Reluctantly, Davina walked back over to the coffin. She lowered head and looked inside, instantly recognizing Kol's original body from the photograph she saw of him in 1914. She then noticed the body was naked, and immediately averted her eyes, blushing.

Kol took his hand out of the water, looking up at Freya. "Well, I think it looks good to go myself."

"You could transfer your soul into this body as soon as you're ready."

"I know. But I'm thinking sooner rather than later."

Davina's eyes widened, realizing that Kol was intending to go back into his original body any minute now. Kol put his hands over the stone coffin and Freya took a few steps back. Kol recited an incantation three times over, before suddenly collapsing on to the floor of the tomb, unconscious.

Davina tended to the unconscious body, while Freya watched Kol's original body eagerly. Within a few minutes, the eyes of Kol's original body opened.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was wandering around the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, looking conflicted. He didn't have a real plan at the moment for taking out Dahlia. But he had to act soon because it was only a matter of time before Dahlia made her move against them. They had to take the fight to her, he knew that, if they fought on her terms, she would kill them all. But then he tried going after her once already before, and he failed miserably. He only had one weapon left, one last shot to take out Dahlia. He couldn't afford to screw up again.

Suddenly, Dahlia appeared in the courtyard, standing a few feet in front of Klaus, startling him. It was as if she appeared out of thin air. "Dahlia! You _dare_ enter _my_ home?"

Dahlia smiled. "Forgive me for coming so early, unannounced, but I have a message for you. I am owed a debt as you know and I intend for it to be paid."

"You can writhe in hell first," Klaus replied.

"Such hatred... If you must harbor it, isn't it better spent on the one who traded your child away a thousand years ago? Blame Esther, if you must, but I seek _only_ to fulfill a bargain. A bargain that, consequently, resulted in your very existence. Perhaps you should be thanking me?" Dahlia taunted.

Klaus sneered, Dahlia shrugging in response. "Very well. The time has come to add your child's power to my own. Though, I do not detect her here. I see you've used a spell to cloak her. Clever. Not that it matters – such spells will yield, as will _you_. Sooner rather than later considering I've killed the _witch_ who cast said spell. Say your farewells. You have 'til nightfall tomorrow, and then the child _shall be mine._ Be a dear and inform the mother? No reason we can't be _civilized_ about this."

Klaus, furious, lunged at Dahlia, only to phase right through her, landing on the ground below. Klaus turned his head, watching as the projection of Dahlia slowly faded, further frustrating him.

 **Lafayette Cemetery...**

Gia knelt by a fresh, unmarked grave in Lafayette Cemetery, leaving a bouquet of flowers for the recently deceased Josephine LaRue. Gia touched the soil, a mournful look on her face. Her and Josephine weren't friends exactly, but still, in a weird way, she felt a connection to the elderly witch. She didn't want to believe that she died horribly because she and Elijah persuaded her to get involved in the fight against Dahlia.

"Gia," a man spoke softly, the voice coming from behind her. Gia turned her head and looked up, seeing Elijah standing there, staring at her with a guilty expression on his face. "I had a feeling I would find you here."

"They found her with a violin, said her throat looked like it had been slit with a violin string.." Gia replied grimly, Elijah kneeling down beside her. "Dahlia also took the time to break the hex her bitch of a mother put on her hands. She also cut her heart while she was at it."

"Truly horrendous..." Elijah paused, taking a minute to think of what he would say next. "She deserved better."

"I know she did. Elijah, Dahlia only killed her because she was trying to help _us_. If we hadn't asked for her help, then she might still be alive."

"There is no arguing that. But there is no undoing the past, my dear Gia. We can't bring her back. Not without great sacrifice at least. She is at peace with her ancestors now. We can at least take comfort in that."

Gia laughed a little, bitterly. "Right. You've had a thousand years of learning to cope with death. I imagine it's pretty easy for you by now."

Elijah thought of when Hayley died, when she was in transition to become a hybrid and he didn't know. That feeling in him like the world around him had just fallen apart, because he thought one person, who he didn't even know for a full year yet, had died. "Not as easy as you might think. I haven't become completely desensitized to it."

"I don't see how you couldn't be. I wonder how I'll handle things after a thousand years pass. The kind of person I'll be. Whether I'll still be in New Orleans or not. Or whether it'll still be called New Orleans by then. Whether I'll still remember Josephine."

"Unfortunately we vampires tend to have very good memory."

"That is unfortunate."

"...Dahlia threatened Niklaus earlier today, she appeared in the compound. She's only given us till tomorrow at nightfall to hand over Hope. Fortunately she doesn't know where Hope and Hayley are but it's only a matter of time before she finds out."

Gia looked over to Elijah, and Elijah looked back at her. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know yet."

"Let's hope you and your siblings figure something out soon, before she kills anyone else."

Elijah grimaced. "Hopefully."

"I take it you want me to patrol the city and keep an eye out for the wicked witch?"

Elijah seemed a little taken aback by her assumption. "No. I came to find you because I was worried about you."

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Hayley was holding Hope in her arms, talking to Josh and Aiden inside the safe house that Elijah and Josephine had set up in the infirmary. Hayley rocked Hope soothingly, taking a deep breathe before she opened her mouth. "Okay. Good news? Dahlia still doesn't know that we're here. Bad news? She's given us until tomorrow night, and then she's coming for Hope. And given that she kicked Klaus' ass the other day from what I understand, we're in trouble if she finds us."

"Well, I say we get the hell out of here," Jackson replied impulsively, to Hayley and Aiden's surprise.

"Leave? Jack, Freya said that Dahlia was drawn to Hope's magic. No matter how far we go, she's still gonna be able to track us. At least this place is spelled – _no one_ can do magic here, not Hope or Dahlia. The best thing to do... is to stay here," Hayley insisted.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Sure, this place is spelled, but we've seen bigger magic than this _break_. I say we run while we can."

"We're not running."

"Running isn't the cowardly thing to do Hayley, it's what wolves do. This isn't our fight, Dahlia's fight is with the Mikaelsons—"

"The Mikaelsons are _my_ family, just like the Crescents are. They're Hope's family too. If we're going to survive Dahlia, without handing over Hope, we're going to need the Mikaelsons. We're not running. We're staying here."

Jackson frowned. He couldn't think of anything to counter what Hayley had just said. The connection she had to the Mikaelsons made him feel a little uneasy to say the least, especially considering Hayley use to be in love with one of them, and may still very well be, and got pregnant by another.


	26. Steppin' Out Under the Moon, Part 2

Episode 19: Steppin' Out Under the Moon

Part 2

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was in his art room at the compound, where was furiously painting an abstract piece. He covered a large canvas in dark red, gold, brown and green paint.

Elijah entered the room, looking for his brother, only to find Klaus absorbed in his artwork. Elijah gave Klaus a concerned look while Klaus didn't even turn around to look at Elijah, though he did know he was there.

"You do understand there is no time?" Elijah asked.

Klaus turned his head, looked at Elijah for a moment, and glared at him before going back to work, Elijah letting out a sigh. "Niklaus, Dahlia killed one of our more powerful allies the other day, the witch elder Josephine LaRue."

"Where are you going with this Elijah?" Klaus said as he continued to paint.

"While our aunt did give us until tomorrow night to meet her demands, It has occurred to me that she will continue to make moves against us before then, she doesn't particularly strike as the honourable type. Now it is no secret that you often strategize while painting. I assume you have a plan, here."

Klaus smirked bitterly. "You ask that I _share_ my strategies so you can run _straight_ to Freya and bring her into the circle of trust? I think not."

Elijah grew a little frustrated. "It is too dangerous for you, brother. You _cannot_ do this alone!"

Klaus fully turned around to face Elijah, his wet paint brush still in one hand. "And who should I trust to protect my daughter? Hmm? Our new-found sister Freya with duplicitous motives of her own? Our father, who has tried to kill us all on more than one occasion I might add. Our brother Kol who has ended up dating the witch that resurrected our murderous father? Our sister Rebekah who has betrayed me for the romantic love of another in the past? Or, how about Jackson, self-declared King of the Wolves?"

"You need only trust _me_ ," Elijah insisted.

Klaus paused, clearly considering Elijah's words for a moment. "I would love to, Elijah. Now more than ever, I need my older brother, my closest _ally_ , my _blood,_ " Klaus hesitated for a moment before frowning in frustration. "But you have been the same ever since Mother got inside your head."

Elijah looked a little hurt as he turned around and began to walk away from Klaus. "Your judgment is not what it was. _You_ are not what you were! The Elijah I know would never have clung _so desperately_ to the word of a duplicitous stranger telling him what he wants to hear!" Klaus complained, calling after Elijah.

Reluctantly, Elijah turned around and stopped in his tracks, sighing once more. "I _have_ doubted Freya, just not as much as you have. But you know what I remind myself? That she has every reason to want Dahlia's demise. Our distrust of her – perhaps it is unfair."

"Unfair? Freya vanquished Finn, yes, but only after she herself resurrected him. Only after he became so much of a nuisance, even she didn't want anything more to do with him. And, though she may have saved Rebekah from Eva Sinclair, we've been given reason to suspect that she had a hand in waking that demon, in the first place!"

"Niklaus. If we cannot trust one another, we cannot work together."

Klaus sighed and returned to his painting. "No, we cannot," he replied grimly.

Elijah frowned, upset by his brother's apparent distrust of him.

 **The Claire Tomb/Kol's Playhouse...**

Kol, now in his original body and no looking longer desiccated or weakened, was standing by the couch in his tomb next to Davina, who was holding a newspaper. On the couch was Kaleb, who was just beginning to wake up. He yawned and stretched his arms as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Davina and Kol, staring at him. He jumped a little, both startled and confused as to where he was. "Where am I? Who-who are you lot?" Kaleb asked, his heart pounding against his chest.

"Name's Kol. Kol Mikaelson. Original vampire. And this here is the lovely Davina Claire," Kol replied, gesturing over to Davina, Davina smiling a little. "Long story short – you missed out on roughly ten months of your life," Kol continued, Davina handing him the newspaper she was holding, Kaleb taking it reluctantly, looking a little disoriented and confused by what Kol was telling him. "Check the date."

Kaleb looked at the newspaper, searching for the date with his eyes. As soon as he found it, he gasped a little. Kol wasn't lying. It's like he travelled ten months into the future. "What the hell did you guys do to me?!"

Davina quickly became uncomfortable, while Kol remained somewhat calm. "Well, you see, Kaleb, I died a while back and was in need of a new body. My mother decided to place me in your body. Wasn't anything personal lad, just I needed someone who wasn't close to anyone, someone who no one would question if they started to act a little differently. You fit the bill perfectly, being a bit of a loner and all. But fortunately for you, I decided to reconstruct my original body and vacate yours. So you're free to go."

Kaleb was still trying to absorb all the information that Kol had just given him. "I know this is a lot to take in," Davina added, sitting down next to Kaleb on the couch. Kaleb didn't try to move away from her and didn't seem oppose to having her so close to him.

"It, it is. My dad-"

"Isn't anyone worth worrying about. He was almost as terrible as my own father, just my opinion of course," Kol paused, looking at Kaleb and Davina for a moment, then letting out a sigh. "He hasn't come looking for you in the ten months you've been _missing_. So congrats, you don't have to see him ever again. I wouldn't."

Davina looked at Kaleb with sympathy, to Kol's mild jealousy. Davina was physically attracted to that body after all, considering that was the body he was in when they began their relationship. He didn't like the idea of Kaleb being competition for Davina's affections. Not one bit.

"So where am I to go then?" Kaleb asked, looking at Kol, then at Davina.

"I don't know. I could use my power of compulsion to fix you up with an apartment and a steady job. If you're up for it," Kol offered. He hoped Davina would see it as him being kind to the confused boy, but in reality, Kol was just looking to get rid of Kaleb as fast as possible. Unless he wanted to possess him again in the future, in which case he would just look him up. "Consider it a thank you for letting me borrow your body."

Kaleb considered Kol's offer, still looking more than a little overwhelmed.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Hayley and Hope were happily sitting together on the stage of the jazz club, Hope really cuddling up to her mother. Hayley lifted her head for a moment, her eyes widened as she saw long, thick green vines magically creeping up the inside walls of the building. They quickly became so thick and numerous that within ten or so minutes, they completely covered the windows, to Hayley's horror.

Impulsively, Hayley stood up, holding her daughter protectively in her arms. A handful of werewolf guards came in to join her in investigating the vines, which were now beginning to bloom with blood-red flowers.

"They're dahlias," Hayley stated, terrified. "She knows we're here."

Hayley took her cell phone out of her pant pocket, went through her speed dial and called for Klaus, but the call didn't look like it was going to go through.

Hayley turned to one of her guards. "I need you to go get help. _Now._ "

 **Outside the Infirmary...**

Dahlia walked down the stone stairs that led into St. James Infirmary, a patient look on her face. She spotted a nearby werewolf guard attempting to call someone using their cell phone. She rolled her eyes. _"Vidau,"_ she whispered, flicking her fingers and knocking out the cell service, to the werewolf's confusion.

The werewolf slowly took the phone away from his ear and stared at it, a puzzled expression on his face.

Dahlia kept her eyes focused on the werewolf guard holding the cell phone, extending one arm out and flicking her wrist. Suddenly, the werewolf collapsed on to the ground, dropping his phone, his neck snapped. Dahlia sighed as she stared over at the now dead werewolf.

 **Marcel's Loft...**

Rebekah was pacing around Marcel's apartment while Marcel himself was playing a game of darts by himself, not looking the least bit panicked, unlike Rebekah. "And Nik doesn't seem to be taking Dahlia very seriously at all. It's like he's just- fiddling away while Rome _burns_!" Rebekah complained.

Marcel turned and walked towards Rebekah. Rebekah stopped pacing, looking at Marcel and meeting his eyes. "I get your concern for your niece Rebekah, but you know as well as I do, Klaus is at his best when there's an enemy he needs to take down. I _guarantee_ he's got a plan."

"What if that plan doesn't bear fruit before nightfall tomorrow?"

Marcel sighed. "We've been through worse, right? We'll get through this."

Marcel went back to throwing darts at his dartboard, while Rebekah went back to pacing around the apartment, frustrated. "I wish we could just ship him off to bloody Sardinia or somewhere, with all his paints and his wine cellar, until this all blows over and Hope is safe again," Rebekah vented.

"Off topic but those eight children you were linked to, how's that coming along?" Marcel asked.

Rebekah shook her head. "Fine. I'm no longer linked to any of them. I could leave this body at any time and jump back into my old one without fear of eight kids dying because this body would no longer have a soul to inhabit it."

"Then why don't you go back into your old body? You're stronger as an original vampire than as a witch, you'll be able to help Hope better."

"I know," Rebekah admitted. "I've just..." she paused, stopping in her pacing once more, Marcel turning around again for a moment. "I've wanted to be mortal again for a while now, I'm sure you remember me telling you as much."

"I do remember. I guess I just never understood why. Maybe because I never cared much for being human myself."

"And that is something _I_ cannot understand. As a human, I could live life knowing that each day mattered, that one would day it could all end. I could maybe get married to someone who loved me the way I loved him, and then someday have his children. I have a chance to have all of that now, in the body of Eva Sinclair. I don't want to pass that up. As selfish as that may sound."

Marcel smiled half heartedly. "It's not selfish."

Rebekah smiled briefly at Marcel. "So can we get back to Nik and what we're going to do about him?"

"Do what?" Marcel replied, going back to playing darts. "We can't go up against him, we've got no way of putting him down-"

"No. Instead, here we are, gearing up for the fight of our lives, and all anyone can worry about is _his_ next move."

An idea popped into Marcel's head, but he didn't share it with Rebekah, keeping it to himself. He threw one last dart at the dartboard, hitting the bullseye right in the center.

 **The Bell Tower of the St. Louis' Cathedral...**

Freya was in the bell tower of the church, standing before a table filled with lit white candles, a troubled look on her face. After a moment, she paused, sensing someone behind her and calling out to them without turning around. "Father, you're back."

"I am. Are you... alright Freya?" Mikael asked in a concerned tone.

Freya slowly turned around to face him, putting on a fake smile. "I'm fine. But I appreciate your concern."

 _ **The Lyonne Tomb, a couple of days ago...**_

" _Why did you wake me? Freya have you not gone to great lengths to prove you have no love left for your mother?" Esther asked, standing a few feet away from Freya, a confused look on her face._

 _Freya flashed Esther a cruel smile. "I wanted you awake – because I plan to end your wretched existence tonight. And I want you to be awake for when it happens," Freya stated, Esther gasping, tears starting to form in her eyes. "But before I kill you, there's just a couple of questions I have for you. And I want you to answer them, truthfully," Freya continued, starting to become more emotional and vulnerable herself._

" _...Ask away."_

 **Present Day, The Bell Tower of the St. Louis' Cathedral...**

"Have you heard any more from your siblings concerning Dahlia, perhaps what the latest plan is to dispatch that witch?" Mikael asked Freya.

Freya appeared distracted for a moment before nodding, answering Mikael's question. "I received a message from Elijah earlier, apparently Dahlia came to the compound. She gave Niklaus a deadline to hand over his child to her. Tomorrow at nightfall. As for a plan... it doesn't appear anyone has one right now."

"Knowing the bastard I imagine he's been scheming ever since his defeat at her hands in the church. He probably does have another plan in mind on how to deal with the witch, he's just refusing to share with anyone out of pure paranoia," Mikael suggested.

Freya grimaced at the mention of the word bastard. "You speak of him with such disdain. You'll hardly ever refer to him by his name, a name you gave him I believe. Can I ask why?"

Mikael grew a little angry at Freya question's, but because it was Freya, he tried his best to calm himself. "My youngest son died because of him. _Your_ brother."

"Henrik."

Mikael nodded. "A thousand years ago, Niklaus invited him to come watch the werewolves turn on the night of the full moon. One of the wolves killed Henrik. Niklaus, survived."

Freya acted as though she accepted her father's response. But the truth was, she didn't. She saw inside Elijah's mind, watched as Mikael beat Klaus, when Klaus was only a child, long before Henrik ever died. That wasn't the reason why Mikael hated Klaus so much, it was only a contributing factor. But she didn't care to question her father further on it. She had a feeling it wouldn't end well.

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was continuing to paint the same piece he was earlier when he was talking to Elijah, still more or less completely absorbed into his work. "Bad time?" a feminine voice asked coming from behind him.

Klaus immediately turned around, recognizing the voice as Camille's. He saw Cami standing in the door way, a friendly smile on her face. "Camille. Ah, yes. As I've recently proved disagreeable, I assume Elijah brought you here to play therapist to the savage beast."

Cami maintained her smile. "Actually, I was just gonna say you look like you could use some fresh air. Maybe we could go for a walk? You can spend, oh, five seconds _not_ obsessing about who not to trust, and who you're gonna murder next?"

Klaus laughed a little. "I quite enjoy my obsessions, thank you very much," Klaus replied, turning around and returning to his painting. "Fear not, I shall tell Elijah you came as asked, and you may leave assured your duty is fulfilled."

Cami gave Klaus a worried look. "Klaus. _Talk to me._ And not because Elijah sent me," Cami pleaded.

Klaus sighed in frustration before nodding at her.

 _Author's Note: Thus ends the latest chapter. I'm glad there's people who are still enjoying this story, it really helps motivate me to keep writing. I know the second season of TO wasn't that bad that it absolutely needed a retake, but what can I say, there were a few things that happened that I didn't care for, and there were things that I wished happen but never did (like Kol surviving his hex or coming back at all for starters, or Hayley kinda becoming subservient to Jackson towards the end of the season). If I had time, I would write a alternate season six of vampire diaries, but writing this story has taken longer than what I thought it would so that's more or less out of the question._


	27. Steppin' Out Under the Moon, Part 3

Episode 19: Steppin' Out Under the Moon

Part 3

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Hayley was pacing anxiously around the inside the safe house with Hope in her arms, looking extremely nervous and terrified. Hope, on the other hand, appeared content, chewing on a toy, oblivious of the danger she and her mother were now in.

"It's okay baby girl," Hayley whispered to Hope.

Hayley lifted her head, alarmed as she caught a glimpse of Dahlia in the distance through the open doorway. Dahlia came closer and closer, stopping just outside the doorway. Hayley clutched Hope tightly to her chest, glaring at Dahlia while she did so.

Dahlia looked at baby Hope for a moment, clutching her heart and gasping in an exaggerated manner. "What a beauty! Hello, my child. I-" Dahlia started to walk into the room, only to stop when she spotted a thick line of sand that was spread over the entire doorway. "I was hoping for a more intimate chat. Though I sense by entering, you would have me at a considerable disadvantage. How unfortunate."

"Why don't you come on in? I would _love_ to show you some hybrid hospitality," Hayley threatened, to Dahlia's amusement.

"I only wanted to see the little one who has been promised to me. Won't be long now- surely you've noticed the spell protecting you is growing weaker?"

Hayley gritted her teeth. "If you _dare_ lay a finger on her, I _swear_ I will make you suffer in ways even your _evil_ mind can't imagine."

Dahlia laughed a little. "Hayley, is it? I like you. You're boldness is something I admire. I have no quarrel with you. Esther made this bargain _long_ ago. I'm terribly sorry you've been dragged into it. Had you not gotten yourself involved with the hybrid you wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"You talk like you don't have a choice but _this_ is your doing!"

Dahlia smirked. "When I give my word, I keep it, and I expect others to do the same. Esther and I made a bargain a _long_ time ago, and so, you see, _that_ child is rightfully mine. The only question you need ask is- would you deny me, knowing that it would mean your death?"

"You underestimate my love for my little girl. I am not _Esther_. I would die each day for the rest of _eternity,_ if it meant keeping my daughter safe. You're not taking her."

Dahlia sighed. "You're frightened for... _your_ child. I can assure you, anything that Freya might have told you about our life together... well, she always had a flair for the dramatic."

"Well, it seems to run in the family."

"Well, then, of course - most of my troubles with Freya stemmed from the fact that I came for her so late in life. She had such a _strong_ memory of the family that I took her from. She was forevr wanting to see her father and brother again, even her mother at first... But Hope is so young, she won't cling to the memory of you, or cry for you in her sleep."

Hayley looked both enraged and devastated by what Dahlia just said. "You can take comfort in the fact that for her, it will be as if you never existed," Dahlia finished.

Hayley closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, they were her hybrid eyes, glowing brightly. "Come closer. Let's see how a witch with no magic does against me."

Suddenly, Hope began to wail in Hayley's arms, upset by what was going on around her. Hayley immediately went back to her human face as soon as she heard Hope crying, redirecting her attention towards her.

"Oh dear, you've upset the child," Dahlia mocked. "Pity. You ought not to waste your last hours with her this way. You should spend this time saying your farewells. Nightfall tomorrow will come all too soon. Goodbye for now, little one."

Hayley began to rock Hope in her arms comfortingly, kissing her on the forehead before looking up at Dahlia one last time, glaring at her yet again. Dahlia gave the mother and child one last glance before turning around and walking away, leaving.

 **A Cafe in the French Quarter...**

Klaus was sitting with Cami at a table for two at an outdoor cafe, both of them drinking coffee while talking to one another. "Have you ever thought about how hard it must have been for Freya, being raised by this woman? I mean, you of all people should at least have some compassion for that," Cami offered.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, poor Freya, but that's my point exactly – I, of all people, know whether the parent raising you loves you or loathes you, they still form who you are. After all this time, am I not Mikael's son? And, therefore, is Freya not just as dangerous as Dahlia herself?"

"I've been waiting for you to bring up Mikael, after Elijah told me you formed some sort of weird alliance with him the other day. Same day we went for drinks at Rousseau's together and you _never_ thought to mention it."

"There was no need to," Klaus replied quickly. "Nothing's changed. I still loathe Mikael with a passion."

"I was a little shocked I have to say. Considering the last time you met him he nearly killed you and me. He actually might've if it weren't for your friends and family showing up at the right time."

Klaus frowned at the reminder. "He did. I haven't forgotten that. But like it or not, he is one of the strongest men I know. I figured by forging an alliance with him, we could kill Dahlia together without having to involve my siblings. Turns out I was wrong. Dahlia proved to be more powerful- more clever than what I had anticipated. She defeated Mikael and I and hardly broke a sweat while doing it."

"So what are you going to do?" Cami asked, worried.

Klaus sighed. "...I don't know."

"I don't believe you, you always have a plan."

"I wish that was the case... Unfortunately it isn't."

 **Elsewhere in the French Quarter...**

Josh and Aiden were walking down a street in the French Quarter together, side by side, Aiden smiling widely. "So, after I realized I was spending, like, three hours a day on Reddit, I just thought, "This is stupid, you know? I'm just gonna start reading _The Times Picayune_." Even though it's, like, the weirdest name ever for a newspaper, it's still-"

"Josh," Aiden interrupted, laughing a little as they turned into an alley way. Josh suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at Aiden for a moment.

"Huh?" Josh replied, confused.

Aiden paused, anxious of what he was about to say next, but still holding his smile, looking deeply into Josh's eyes as if they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. "I—I love you."

Josh laughed in disbelief, Aiden laughing with him. After a moment, Josh stopped laughing, instantly becoming worried as he realized Aiden was being serious. "Aiden, what are you going to do?"

Aiden's smile fell. "Look, here's the thing – I am who I am. Loyalty to my pack is in my DNA. I can't... live with myself if I'm someone who's spying for Klaus, because I'm _not_ cut out to be a double agent. So, I'm gonna tell Jackson everything."

Josh only grew more worried. "What, because it's so much better to be killed by Jackson than Klaus- and even if he doesn't kill you, then what?"

Aiden had his answer. He knew it wasn't the smartest idea to remain in New Orleans after crossing Klaus Mikaelson. "Then... meet me in two hours. Here. We'll get out of here and finally start our lives together."

Josh was now more stunned than anything else. "Wow. You really want to just—go. With me?"

Aiden nodded, his smile returning. "Like I said, I am who I am," Aiden continued, grabbing one of Josh's arms and squeezing it affectionately. "I'm a pack guy. And you're my pack now. Unless... you want to stay here."

Josh just stared at Aiden for a moment without saying anything, overwhelmed. "Wow, leave. Okay, um, wow," Josh laughed nervously. "I mean, I'm finally pronouncing all the street names right," Josh joked, Aiden giggling. "And, I know I _did_ die here and all, but well, this _was_ the first place I ever, I don't know... felt like myself."

"I know, I know this is all really fast. But I know, in my heart of hearts, this is what I want. And, I hope it's what you want too. And if it is, meet me here in two hours."

Josh gulped nervously and smiled weakly at Aiden, too overwhelmed to speak. Aiden took his silence as a rejection and looked both hurt and disappointed. Still, Aiden smiled sadly at him and squeezed his hands affectionately as he turned to walk away.

Josh sighed and used his vampire speed to chase after Aiden, catching up with him quickly. He grabbed Aiden by the head and pulled him into a long and deep kiss. Slowly, they pulled away, tears of joy forming in Aiden's eyes.

"Yes, I'll be there. Of course I'll be there."

"Good," Aiden replied with a nervous smile.

Aiden turned around and began to walk away again, stopping once more when he heard Josh calling after him. "I love you too."

Aiden gave Josh one last smile before leaving.

 **Lafayette Cemetery, the Claire Tomb...**

Kol was pacing around his playhouse, a rare look of worry on his face. Then Kol heard someone entering the tomb. The original vampire tensed up immediately, preparing himself to deal with the potential intruder, only to sigh when he realized it was only Marcel.

Marcel jumped a little upon seeing Kol, not use to seeing him back in his original body. "Ah yes you haven't been informed yet. Freya, Davina and I restored my original body earlier today. I'm a one thousand year old vampire again," Kol explained to a slightly startled Marcel.

"A heads up would've been nice," Marcel replied. He walked further into the tomb, as if he was expecting someone else to be there. "Where's D?"

"Not that it's any of your business but Davina's out with my old vessel Kaleb somewhere in the French Quarter. I imagine she'll be back soon."

"So who is she dating now then, you or Kaleb?" Marcel taunted, Kol grimacing.

Kol sighed once more. "Let's cut to the chase shall we? What do you want Marcellus? I don't think you came here just to chat considering neither one of us particularly likes the other."

"We have a problem. Klaus."

Kol. rolled his eyes. "What else is new? More importantly, what do you want me to do about?"

"I seem to remember that you were working on a dagger a while back that could put Klaus on ice for a little while. Do the same thing to him that he did to you and the rest of your siblings. How's that coming along?"

"It's _finished_ ," replied Kol. "I'm certain it would work on him too. But, I'm not sure if you've heard, Nik and I have patched things up since I finished making the dagger... _well_ , for the most part. What makes you think I would betray my own blood for you?"

"Klaus just made this alliance with Mikael a couple of days ago behind everyone's backs. Dahlia's still alive, and she's somewhere out in the city right now, and she's given your family a deadline to hand over your niece, which I'm sure you already know. Klaus is off the rails, and he won't trust anyone, and he won't share the one weapon that will take down this witch. If things go south, that dagger could come in handy."

Kol considered Marcel's words for a moment, conflicted. "I made that dagger for mine and Davina's protection Marcellus. I'll be the one to decide whether it gets used or not."

Marcel grimaced.

 **Somewhere in the French Quarter...**

Klaus was walking down the streets of the French Quarter , having finished his conversation with Cami, when he was stopped by Elijah, to his annoyance. "Your transparent attempts to therapize me failed, Elijah. I suggest you allow me to make my way home in peace," Klaus said bitterly, continuing to walk, Elijah walking along side him.

"I was trying to help you Niklaus."

"Yes, and I do believe your heart was in the right place. But your mistake, brother, is thinking that I needed help in the first place. I don't. What I _need_ is a certain witch- dead, tomorrow before nightfall."

"And if you are to accomplish such a task, you will need mine and Freya's help," Elijah insisted.

Klaus smirked. "Well actually, there is a way our older sister can help that doesn't involve my trusting her. I just came up with it during my conversation with Camille. Dahlia is channelling Freya's magic at all times. What if Freya were to no longer be a witch? What if we turned her into a vampire? Dahlia would then be weakened, weakened enough for me to kill her without needing any assistance."

"I hardly think Freya would agree to such a thing," replied Elijah, a little disturbed by the suggestion.

"She doesn't have to agree to it."

"We're not doing it Niklaus-"

"And once again you prove to be an unreliable ally, how unfortunate-"

" _Niklaus,_ " Elijah said firmly, both of them stopping to look one another in the eye. Elijah sighed. "I was but a _breathe_ away from taking your life," he said, holding up one hand and making a fist. He then put his fist in front of Klaus' eyes for effect. "Just a few short years ago, when you broke your curse and you were your most vulnerable, I reached into your ribcage and grabbed a hold of your beating heart. Do you recall that Niklaus? And yet, here we are, both still alive, still family. Now, we need her, Niklaus- Freya is our family. If you cannot see the greater picture here-"

"You only see around the next curve in the road!" Klaus interrupted. " _I_ am looking from above. Did you see the look on Freya's face, the other night, when I suggested I would kill Mikael should I lose the weapon I have on me now to kill Dahlia? She feels affectionate for that man, that monster, who dare call himself our father. Frankly she has more affectionate for him than she does us. Who is to say she won't join forces with him after we kill Dahlia, and attempt to kill us all? Freya is not to be trusted, and there is a way to kill Dahlia without her, I know there is."

"So enlighten me, and I will do _everything_ in my power to help you!"

"Forsake Freya and I will let you in!" Klaus countered.

Elijah grew frustrated. "Klaus, this is insane! Hope is also my family. Now, if you continue to walk this path, you _will_ lead her towards harm," Elijah stated, Klaus fuming. "And do not fail to understand me when I say this to you- I will do _whatever it takes_ to prevent this."

"As. Will. I. So the choice is yours brother- Freya, or me. Do _not_ make the wrong choice."

Klaus used his vampire speed to run away, Elijah sighing deeply.

 **At the Cafe in the French Quarter...**

Davina and Kaleb were seated at a table for two, much like Klaus and Cami were earlier, making conversation with one another, both of them looking a little uncomfortable, but Davina felt guilty that her boyfriend used his body for ten months and now they were just suppose to disregard his existence.

"Well, maybe staying with your father is out of the question, what about your mom?" Davina asked with a forced friendly smile on her face.

Kaleb hesitated for a moment. "She's dead," he replied, Davina's smile falling. "Died when I was 10. Back when I still lived in England."

"I'm so sorry, I just assumed your parents were divorced or something-"

"It's okay. You were just asking. And now I have a question for you. That Kol guy, the guy who borrowed my body for ten months. You two are more than just friends, aren't you?"

Davina nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure what we are exactly, but we're more than friends."

"Did you—you, what did you guys do exactly while Kol was using my body?"

Davina blushed, mortified at the suggestion. "Oh no, we didn't—we just kissed. We didn't actually, you know, while Kol was in your body. I mean we've never- I've never-"

"It's alright. You needn't explain any further."

"I'm sorry if you had that impression-"

"I did. But now I know that I shouldn't have assumed such things either."

Davina laughed a little nervously.

 **On a Street in the French Quarter...**

Aiden met up with Jackson on a street corner, trying to put on a brave face in spite of how nervous he was. He was determined to tell Jackson the truth, even though he knew Jackson wouldn't handle it well. He never should've turned his back on Jackson, he knew that now. But there was no undoing the past. "Jack, there's something... there's something I um, I need to- to tell you," Aiden stuttered, Jackson throwing him a puzzled and concerned look. "There's something that happened a while back. I met up with Klaus at a bar, and... he said some things that appealed to my _stupid_ ego. He's been asking me to spy on you and report back to him. And... I have been. And I'm-"

Before Aiden could finish his confession, Jackson angrily punched Aiden straight in the face, losing his temper.

 **Author's Note:** _Thus ends this chapter. Like always I hope everyone enjoyed it. As for the question regarding Kol's ashes and whether he would've come back as a witch or not due to Esther's meddling, one could make the argument for that and I certainly could've used that to make Kol's original body a witch, I just chose to bring him back as a vampire because it went with the story I had in mind. I wish I had a more satisfactory answer. As to who will die in place of Aiden, or whether anyone will die in place of Aiden, I'll have to say is, wait and see because I don't want to spoil anything. To CriesofCapricorn, I loved the Ansel character as well, and thought it was really cool of them to introduce him and I was very disappointed when he died so soon. Lastly, Dante 101 gave me the idea for Klaus discussing the idea of turning Freya to weaken Dahlia. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you have them, I encourage it._


	28. Steppin' Out Under the Moon, Part 4

Episode 19: Steppin' Out Under the Moon

Part 4

 **The French Quarter...**

Aiden groaned and rubbed his jaw as he turned back to Jackson, looking at him guiltily while grimacing in pain. "Alright, I deserved that," Aiden admitted.

"What did Klaus tell you that you wanted to hear?" Jackson asked angrily, both his hands clenched into fists.

Aiden hesitated for a long moment, visibly embarrassed and ashamed. "He, uh, he told me I'd make a good Alpha," Aiden scoffed and laughed bitterly. "What a joke, right? I mean, an Alpha would never turn on his pack."

Jackson folded his arms, shaking his head. "No they wouldn't. How long has this been going on Aiden?"

"Jackson it's not important—"

"No. I guess it's not," Jackson sighed, putting one hand on his face and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down. "Just, you didn't hurt anyone and you came clean in the end, and maybe that's all that matters."

Aiden shook his head. "No. You might be able to let me off the hook, but I'm not. I can't just yet. And Klaus won't be so forgiving either once he finds out I'm no longer spying for him. He'll probably kill me. Which is why I'm leaving."

Jackson was shocked to hear the words _I'm leaving_ come from Aiden's mouth. "You're not leaving. You want to make up for your betrayal, you do it by standing with this pack when it needs you most. We have a little girl to protect. My wife's daughter. And you can't leave. Alright? I won't let Klaus kill you and neither will Hayley."

"Jackson, I appreciate the gesture. I do. But I've already made plans to leave with Josh. Really, this is for the best," Aiden attempted to assure Jackson, smiling weakly at him.

Jackson looked at Aiden in disbelief for a moment. "Okay. If you need to take some time, like I did? Do it. But you'll always be part of this pack, okay? And come back as soon as you can, alright?"

Aiden nodded. Jackson turned to leave but Aiden stopped him before he could go. "Hey, Jackson," he said, Jackson turning to face him. "Just... take care of yourself, you know?"

Jackson walked back over to Aiden and pulled him into a big hug. "Come here, idiot," Jackson replied with a heartwarming smile. He pounded Aiden's back affectionately with his fist, Aiden laughing heartily in response.

Dahlia watched from across the street, several feet away, as the two men broke apart and went their separate ways, grinning wickedly while she did.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Elijah was holding Hope, standing inside the jazz club, talking to Hayley and discussing the matter at hand. "Of course I tried to call you Elijah," Hayley insisted. "But since Dahlia was able to take down both Klaus _and_ Mikael, I'm guessing that a cell phone tower was a piece of cake."

Elijah grimaced. "And where were the wolves who stood guard during all of this?"

"Getting their-" Hayley was just about to say the word ass, only to look at Hope in Elijah's arms and hesitate. "-Butts handed to them by Dahlia, just like Klaus did."

Elijah paused, going over a few ideas in his head as to what they could do next. "Perhaps we could ask Freya to cast the same spell that Josephine did over this place, I'm certain she's more powerful than what Josephine was-"

"I am _not_ trusting Freya with something like this," Hayley interrupted.

Elijah sighed. "Understandably so, but we're running out of options Hayley. We can't have you and Hope stay here as is."

"I know."

Klaus came into the jazz club, using his enhanced vampire speed, joining Elijah and Hayley and quickly looking over Hope and Hayley before opening his mouth to speak. "That's it- you're coming to the compound," Klaus said to Hayley.

"Where Dahlia confronted you today? No way! We'd be sitting ducks, just like we will be _here_ as soon as that spell breaks," Hayley replied in an incredulous tone. "We need another plan."

"Hayley I am more than capable of keeping both you and our daughter safe from Dahlia at the compound. Elijah will be there too."

Hayley thought it over for a moment while Elijah rocked baby Hope. "Jackson mentioned something to me earlier, he said we could go out and hide in the Bayou, he knows every inch of-"

Klaus gave Hayley a look of disapproval. "The swamp? So _our_ child can be protected by the very wolves Dahlia so easily defeated? Absolutely not!"

Hayley gritted her teeth. "What about what Elijah suggested to me a few minutes ago. Have Freya cast the same spell that Josephine did, just somewhere else."

Elijah looked at Hayley, surprised that Hayley had a sudden change of heart, while Klaus appeared appalled by the suggestion. "No! That is not up for discussion. Off the table I'm afraid," Klaus said, shaking his head.

Hayley folded her arms. "Look, I don't like her any more than you do, and I sure as hell don't trust her more than you do, but we _are_ running out of options. Unless you have any better ideas..."

 **Somewhere in the French Quarter...**

Jackson stepped out of the Silhouetted Garden flower shop, holding a door open for a young woman as he left with a bouquet of red roses, a smile on his face. The woman said thank you, to which Jackson replied "you're welcome". He knew Hayley wasn't interested in his plan to hide in the Bayou, and she likely hadn't changed her mind, even after Dahlia found them at Algiers. Still, Jackson hoped the flowers would at least make Hayley feel a little better.

Jackson walked for a little bit with the bouquet in his hands before he heard an ominous, whistled tune in the distance. He then jumped a little when he smelled the scent of something burning, looking down and seeing that his bouquet of roses had suddenly caught fire. Jackson dropped the bouquet, the fire going out as soon as the bouquet landed on the ground.

"Too bad," a feminine voice teased. Jackson looked up and saw a woman he strongly suspected to be Dahlia walking towards him. "Those flowers were very beautiful, I must say. Though I prefer dahlias myself."

"You're her," Jackson said, his heart beginning to race.

"I am _her_. And you're Jackson, husband of Hayley, _step father_ of Hope. You could see why you would be of some interest to me."

Before Jackson could act, Dahlia raised one hand and lifted up her index finger. She pressed her finger to her lips, Jackson seemingly falling under a kind of supernatural hypnosis. Dahlia turned around, putting down her index finger, but keeping her fist in the air, Jackson blindly following where she was going.

Dahlia punched the air backwards with her fist, which telekinetically hit Jackson in the abdomen and caused him to double over in pain. Still, he followed her, Dahlia leading them into a deserted alley way and stopping there, a satisfied look on her face. She turned around again to face Jackson, waving the hand she had up in the air and breaking the hypnotic spell she had over the werewolf.

First Jackson was a little confused, then he quickly became terrified as the reality of the situation hit him. He was in an alley way with the enemy. An enemy who no doubt had every intention of killing him. Jackson stared hard into Dahlia's cold, dark eyes and gulped nervously. "What do you want with me?" Jackson asked.

"You still haven't figured it out yet?" Dahlia mocked, making a tsk-tsk sound. "And here I thought you might have been more clever than what people gave you credit for. You see Jackson, while in the grand scheme of things, you might be a minor player- the _County Paris_ to Hayley's _Juliet-_ it only takes one match to burn down acres of forest. In my plan to divide and conquer, you..." Dahlia paused for dramatic effect. "Are my perfect kindling."

Jackson attempted to turn around and make a run for it, only for Dahlia to flick her index and middle fingers, Jackson starting to violently cough up blood, as if he was choking on something. The coughing slowly ceased, Jackson groaning and hissing in pain as his eyes filled with tears. "You know what I find fascinating about you Crescent wolves? Your sense of pride. You hold yourselves in such high esteem and yet..." Dahlia paused, putting her fingers down, Jackson falling to the ground as she did, his knees randomly giving out. "You're all killers. Each of you had to take someone's life to become the beast you wanted to be. Tell me Jackson, who was it that you killed? What was their name? Did you kill them in cold blood?"

Jackson put one hand over his throat, letting out a small whimper. He bitterly swallowed some of the blood in his mouth.

"You have no words, do you? Nothing to say at all in response?"

"No... I have some," Jackson replied, slowly getting to his feet, trying to ignore the searing pain in his throat. "But nothing about anyone I killed... I have a feeling I'm going to die here today. And if I am... I want you to tell Hayley... tell her I'm sorry I failed her. Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't kill you for her."

"How touching. You still love her, even though she's the reason why you're going to die here today. Had you not married her you more than likely wouldn't be here right now."

"Do you think I regret it... because I don't."

"No. I don't think you regret it one bit," Dahlia said in a sincere tone. Dahlia swiped at the air with her left hand, Jackson feeling an invisible fist punch him straight in the nose, breaking it. Twin trails of blood were now running down from his nostrils. "I'm sure in universe where Klaus never impregnanted your beloved Hayley, you and her might have gotten to grow old together. Oh, if only."

Dahlia made her left hand into a fist, and uttered a word that Jackson suspected was Norwegian. Two deep, bloody claw marks appeared on Jackson's chest, his shirt tearing to reveal them. He was now openly crying out in agony, though it didn't seem to bother Dahlia one bit. Still, Jackson stayed on his feet, determined to stay upright and not give Dahlia the satisfaction of seeing him on the ground again.

Dahlia opened her fist, Jackson's heart suddenly flying out of his chest and into her open hand. Jackson gasped one last time before he fell to the ground, dead. Dahlia examined Jackson's heart in her hand for a moment before walking away, carelessly dropping Jackson's non-beating heart next to his corpse, content with what she had just done.

 **A little later, near that same Alley way...**

It was now nightfall. Aiden had a smile on his face as he made his way towards the alley way he was suppose to meet Josh at, carrying everything he needed to take with him in the large backpack he was carrying. The smile on his face faded immediately when he saw a figure laying on the ground. "What the...?" Worried, Aiden dropped his backpack and began to run towards the figure.

Aiden stopped in front of the figure, looking down at it with a horrified look on his face. The figure was none other than a very dead Jackson, laying sprawled out on the alley floor with his heart on the ground next to him. Aiden knelt down next to Jackson, and shook him roughly as he began to cry. "No. No, no, no. Jack, you're okay. Come on."

Aiden examined Jackson's face for a moment. His eyes were wide open, staring up at the sky blankly, his lips and chin stained with fresh blood. He then looked down at Jackson's clawed up and mutilated chest, finally seeing Jackson's severed heart laying on the ground. "Jackson? Jackson?! No. No!"

Aiden held Jackson's body upright, giving him a strong hug as he began to sob uncontrollably, rocking back and forth a little.

"Woah, Aiden!" Josh yelled for him, Aiden hearing his voice coming from behind him.

Josh and Davina came to a grief stricken Aiden's side, standing behind him. Josh was at a loss of words when he saw that Aiden was holding a dead Jackson. Davina gasped in shock as she saw Jackson's heart just laying there, putting one hand over her mouth.

"He's—he's dead!" Aiden shouted, fighting back more tears. "He's dead and _it's all my fault!_ "

Josh knelt down next to Aiden, putting one hand comfortingly on Aiden's back while Davina took a few steps backward.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Klaus, Hayley and Elijah were still discussing what their plan would be to protect Hope until they killed Dahlia.

"We may have only so many hours left to accomplish such a task, but you have to admit it's the perfect plan. Dahlia is only as powerful as she is because she's channeling Freya. If Freya were to suddenly lose her magic, Dahlia would be weakened. She would still be stronger than your average witch, but _not_ as strong as she was when I fought her at St. Anne's Church. Elijah and I could then take her down within mere minutes. And in the meantime, you and Hope will stay at the compound."

"There's only one problem with your plan Niklaus. I'm certain Freya would rather stay a witch than become a vampire," Elijah replied.

"I don't know where you got this idea in your head Elijah that what Freya wants matters to me at all," Klaus said with a grin on his face.

"KLAUS!"

The trio's discussion was interrupted by the sound of Aiden's angry voice, calling out from the entrance hall.

Hayley and Elijah turned to look at Aiden, who was carrying Jackson's body over his shoulder, a couple of werewolf guards with mournful expressions on their faces following him closely.

"Aiden?" Hayley asked, confused.

"KLAUS!" Aiden shouted once more, absolutely furious.

Hayley then stared hard at the body over Aiden's shoulder for a moment, before realizing who it was; her husband, who didn't appear to have a spark of life left in him. "...oh my god. Jack!"

Hayley, using her hybrid speed, raced over to Aiden and the werewolves in the other room, watching as they placed Jackson's lifeless body on a table. Hayley was speechless. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Klaus and Elijah joined Hayley, Aiden and the werewolves in the other room.

"What-what happened?" Hayley asked, staring hard at Jackson's face. She felt as though as she should've been balling her eyes out right now, but no tears were coming just yet. She was still in shock.

Aiden gritted his teeth, glaring at Klaus. "Klaus asked me to be a spy a while back. And like an idiot, I said yes. But then I changed my mind. I told Jackson everything today. And you _killed_ him for it! Admit it!"

Klaus looked at Jackson blankly, while Hayley shook her head at Aiden, Elijah giving Hayley a look of deep concern. "No. No, it wasn't Klaus Aiden. Dahlia came to me today—she did this to intimidate us. She wanted to kill someone close to me. This was her _sick_ , _twisted_ warning!" Hayley replied, starting to become emotional.

Aiden's anger didn't lessen any. "I don't believe that. You hated Jackson, you always have. Admit it Klaus or so help me-" Aiden took a step towards Klaus.

"Hayley is telling the truth Aiden," Klaus said sincerely. "Whatever you may think of me, whatever you may have heard about me, I didn't kill Jackson."

"If you could all put aside whatever issues you all have with each other for a few minutes," Hayley said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'd like a moment alone with my husband," she finished in a surprisingly vulnerable tone.

Aiden paused for a moment, throwing Klaus one last look, before reluctantly walking away into another room, the pair of werewolves following him. Klaus and Elijah then went into another room as well, Elijah the last one to leave.

Hayley slowly approached Jackson's body. She gently put one hand on his left cheek. His body was still warm. Tears were just now beginning to form in the corner of Hayley's eyes. "I'm sorry Jack. I'm so sorry," she said softly, her voice breaking.

 _Author's Note: Well, there you have it. Jackson's out of the picture, and following his death, Aiden will be forced to become the alpha of the Crescent werewolf pack and see how good of an alpha he'll make. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope everyone will look forward to the next one (fingers crossed no one stops reading because Jackson died in a very predictable manner)._


	29. Steppin' Out Under the Moon, Part 5

Episode 19: Steppin' Out Under the Moon

Part Five

 **Marcel's Loft...**

Marcel was sitting on the couch in the living area of his loft while Rebekah was standing a few feet away, a stunned look on her face, her cellphone in her left hand. "Jackson Kenner's dead. Dahlia killed him. Apparently she met up with him in an alley way somewhere in the French Quarter and ripped his heart out, after she was done torturing him," Rebekah said.

Marcel looked at Rebekah for a moment in disbelief before nodding, accepting the information. "Wonder whose gonna be head of the Crescents now."

"Does it matter? Hayley lost her husband because of a mistake my mother made a thousand years ago. I don't know if she loved Jackson or not, but she did care for him, and it's only a matter of time before she starts to blame us for his death. And I'm sure that's exactly what Dahlia was hoping to accomplish."

"I doubt Hayley would blame you for any of this. You and your siblings had nothing to do with it."

"How can you be so sure? I know _you_ see it that way," Rebekah replied, exasperated. "But how can we be sure that Hayley will?"

Marcel got off the couch and started walking towards Rebekah, a surprisingly calm look on his face. "Rebekah, how about we just take a minute to breathe before we start panicking about what's gonna happen next?"

"I can't just _take a break_ , not when I have a psychotic aunt out there who is planning to come for my niece tomorrow at nightfall and take her away like she took Freya," Rebekah sighed. "Not to mention Nik, who, last I heard from Elijah, is doing more harm than good at this point. The only plan he has to deal with Dahlia would involve alienating Freya, who is the only sister I'm ever going to have. And though I don't trust her... I don't want to lose her so soon after meeting her either."

"Rebekah, who do you value you more, Hope, or Freya?"

Rebekah looked at Marcel incredulously. "Hope, of course."

"There may not be a way to save Hope from Dahlia that doesn't involve doing whatever it is to Freya that Klaus is planning to do. I'm just saying, you might have to accept that to protect your niece you may have to sacrifice your sister."

 **Kol's "Playhouse"/The Claire Tomb...**

Kol and Davina were standing by the couch in the Claire Tomb, hugging one another tightly for a moment before breaking apart, a troubled look on Davina's face. "Guess seeing a dead body should really be something I'm use to by now, considering how many I've seen," Davina said quietly.

"It shouldn't be. You're only seventeen love."

"I know. But I also live in New Orleans... and I'm a witch dating an original vampire."

Kol's face lit up, smiling at Davina. "So we're official now, are we?"

Davina smiled shyly at Kol in response. "I don't know. Maybe we are. I mean, that's more or less what I told Kaleb earlier today when he asked."

The smile on Kol's face faded a little. "Right. How is the teenage witch from England now that you mention him? Think he's going to settle back into his old life again without too much trouble?"

Davina gave Kol a worried look. "Not exactly. I actually think he's going to head back to his dad's place and live there again. Was he really that bad? You compared him to Mikael-"

Reluctantly, Kol nodded. "The wanker was beating him. I think he has been ever since his mum died. I had the misfortune of experiencing one shortly after I took his body and went to sever the ties of his old life."

"Oh god."

"I used Kaleb's magic to defend myself before he did any really damage. Something I don't think the lad ever thought to do himself. That sure put the old man in his place."

"Kol, if Kaleb is going back there—do you think you could, I don't know, compel his dad to be a decent parent? From what I understand he's not a witch so why not?"

Kol frowned. "You'd want me to go through all the trouble of rewiring the way a man thinks – for someone I _barely_ know?"

"This someone _you_ barely know is the same someone you possessed for ten months," Davina argued. "And I know it wasn't your choice to take over someone else's life, but now that you've given it back, for however long you plan to, don't you think you kinda owe him one?"

Kol smirked bitterly. "You know, before you could care less about the person I was possessing. You never worried about him. And now... now you do. Because you may have dated my mind, but you were dating his body... You're attracted to him. More than you're attracted to me, aren't you? In this body? And this attraction you have for him is leading you to actually care about what happens to him?"

Davina shook her head, appalled by what Kol was suggesting. "No. No—Kol, of course not. How could you even think that?"

"So you're not attracted to him?"

Davina sighed. "I guess I should've known by now that you were the jealous type."

"Would you not be, Davina, were you in my place right now?"

Davina thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I would be."

"I met you in the body of someone else, and the day I leave that body is the same day you decide to take the opportunity to know the person truly inside that body. And you haven't even so much as touched me after I've been restored to my original body-"

"Allow me to fix that," Davina interrupted, walking up to Kol, putting her hands on the back of Kol's head and kissing him on the lips. Kol, though caught off guard a little, kissed her back, listening to the sound of her heart beating while he did. It was the first time he ever heard her heartbeat so clearly before. He put his hands on Davina's hips, kissing her lips again and again to his heart's content.

Davina broke away from the kisses for a moment, moving her hands to his face, looking deep into Kol's eyes. While it was going to take some getting use to, Kol in a new body, he was still the man she knew, the man she had kissed countless times now, and the man she had saved from what it seemed like certain death.

"Alright," Kol said, staring into Davina's eyes as well. "I'll see what I can do about Kaleb's old man."

Davina smiled and the two resumed kissing. As they were kissing, Kol's cellphone began to vibrate in his pant pocket.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Hayley watched Hope as she slept in her crib, staring at her daughter with a look of worry. She wiped away a couple of fresh tears from her face with her right hand, letting out a sigh. A minute or two later, Elijah joined her at her side.

Hayley slowly turned her head to look at Elijah, Elijah looking back at her. "Hey," Hayley said softly.

Elijah swallowed anxiously. This was the second time today that he tried to comfort a grieving woman. "I'm so sorry Hayley."

"Me too."

"Is there anything I can do to—help? Anything at all?"

Hayley shook her head. "No. Thank you, Elijah."

Elijah smiled at Hayley for a moment, and Hayley half heartedly smiled at him, a few more tears streaming down her cheeks. Elijah opened his mouth as if he was about to say something more, but instead, he quickly closed his mouth again, nodded, turned around and began to walk out of the room, leaving the mourning Hayley to look after baby Hope.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus just arrived in the courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound, looking both exhausted and conflicted. "Is Hayley okay?" Cami asked from behind him.

Klaus turned around to face her, a slightly relieved look on his face. "As okay as one can be after seeing their husband dead and mutilated, by a wicked witch who wants to enslave her daughter," Klaus replied.

Cami looked horrified. "Mutilated?"

"Dahlia decided to make Jackson truly suffer before she killed him. When she was done, she made sure to rip out his heart for added effect."

"She needs to talk to someone-"

"I imagine Elijah is already on the job. Though Hayley went and married another man, I can't imagine my brother has fallen out of love with her. Elijah isn't the type to move on so easily."

"Alright."

Klaus paused for a moment. "Though depending on how she feels about Aiden, she may need actual professional help after I murder him for _his_ betrayal."

Cami stared at Klaus in shock. "What betrayal?"

"The boy and I had a deal," Klaus explained. "He acts as my eyes and ears on all matters concerning the Crescents and I let him be King of the Wolves and dethrone Jackson once I'm satisfied. Unfortunately, Aiden came clean to Jackson shortly before Dahlia killed him. I can't very well let him get away with that, now can I?"

Cami shook her head. "His friend is dead. Isn't that punishment enough?"

Klaus gritted his teeth. "Hardly. Besides, that wasn't by my hand. I have a reputation to maintain Camille, and I maintain that reputation by killing those who cross me. Or have you not realized this about me yet?"

"Don't kill him. Please, Klaus."

Klaus stared at Cami for a moment. "You want me to show the boy mercy, do you? Assuming that I'm even capable of it?"

"Yes. Klaus, you're better than that, I know you are. Or if you're not, you can be... Be the guy that Hope will one day be _proud_ to call her dad."

"First you ask me to pardon Davina, even after she resurrected my father, and now, _now_ you ask me to pardon another? Using my own daughter, as added incentive?"

"Is it so wrong for me to want you to be the best version of yourself?" Cami pleaded.

"You expect too much from me Camille. You may not have accepted it by now, but I am not a particularly good _person_!"

Cami didn't say anything in response, only staring at Klaus with a desperate look on her face. Klaus sighed, frustrated. "Fine. Aiden gets a pass. This time."

Cami smiled, a little relieved.

 **The next day, the Mikaelson Compound...**

It was around two o'clock in the afternoon. Klaus sat down at the head of the table in the dining room, Kol, Freya and Mikael sitting on the left side of the table, while Elijah and Rebekah sat on the other, Mikael looking slightly irritable. Elijah looked over at Klaus, who threw him a reassuring look.

Everyone had a glass of red wine out in front of them, Freya's wine laced with Elijah's blood. Klaus invited Freya over to the compound with the intention of turning her into a vampire to prevent Dahlia from further channelling her, just like he expected, and Elijah was seemingly on board with his plan now, even agreeing to use his blood. What Klaus hadn't expected was that Freya would bring Mikael with her. They wouldn't be able to attack Freya here without incurring Mikael's wrath. He would have to be dealt with first and Klaus understood this.

"And we still have _nothing_ , in terms of a plan to defeat Dahlia?" Mikael asked, looking in Klaus' direction, Klaus glaring at him in response.

"That is why I asked Freya to come down here today," Klaus replied.

"We have to come after Dahlia when she's least expecting it. And before nightfall tonight, when she comes for your child," Freya added. She looked around the table at each one of her siblings, then Mikael, who sat next to her. "It's going to take all of us to defeat Dahlia."

"Now something that occurred to me the other day dear sister, is that Dahlia is only as powerful as she is because she's channelling you. If you were to somehow lose your magic, say become a vampire, Dahlia would lose a considerable amount of the power she wields now. We would be able to vanquish her much easier," Klaus pointed out, staring at Freya as he talked, Freya stunned by the suggestion.

"No. I don't want to be a vampire. Out of the question."

"And why not? It's good enough for Elijah, Kol, your father, and myself."

"To be a vampire... means to become a different person altogether than the person you were before you turned-"

"Actually, to correct you Freya, being a vampire only exaggerates who you truly are-" Klaus interrupted, only for Freya to interrupt him.

"Even so, I happen to like being a witch."

"I understand _that_ ," Kol added, taking a sip of his wine, Klaus rolling his eyes.

"You will respect Freya's decision," Mikael insisted,

"About that," Klaus started, taking the white oak stake out of his jacket pocket, Freya's eyes widening as she realized what it was. Mikael immediately got up out of his chair, standing by Freya to protect her, staring at Klaus intently.

Klaus used his enhanced vampire speed to attack Mikael before Freya could get off her chair, pinning Mikael to a nearby wall, stabbing the white oak stake into his chest, inches away from his heart, while Kol restrained Freya. Elijah and Rebekah got out of their chairs as well, staring over at Klaus worriedly.

"NO!" Freya shouted desperately.

"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist!" Klaus warned, before addressing Mikael. "You don't seem surprised."

Mikael gasped as the stake brushed against his heart, before smiling at Klaus wickedly. "Betrayal... is in your nature, _boy_."

Klaus shook his head. "No. I wasn't born like this. Her, you fight for, lovely Freya, the daughter you _barely_ know. But there was a time where you knew me as your _son!_ A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal," Klaus went on, his voice beginning to shake, his eyes filling up with tears. "There were _moments_ where all you had to do was be my father! And even then, you despised me, didn't you?" Klaus was allowing his tears to flow freely now. "I'd like to know _why_."

Mikael looked at Klaus for a moment, surprised by how vulnerable he was being. "Niklaus... do what you will with me. Kill me again if you want. But do not harm Freya," Mikael ordered, speaking in a surprisingly soft voice. "She is innocent in all of this and she is your sister."

Klaus swallowed, still crying a little. "I am getting tired of people giving me orders today... Answer my question. ANSWER ME!"

Mikael just gave Klaus a look of confusion. "I don't know. I just... did."

Klaus stared into Mikael's eyes, overwhelmed by the admission. Kol was still holding back Freya, all of them seeming surprised at the vulnerability on both Klaus and Mikael's parts.

Klaus sighed, forcing himself to stop crying. He glared at Mikael bitterly. "Are those your final words... _father_?"

Mikael hesitated before looking over to Freya with affection in his eyes. "Freya," Mikael began, Klaus rolling his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I love yo-"

With that, Klaus plunged the stake into Mikael's heart. Mikael gasped. Klaus took a few steps back, allowing Mikael to fall to his knees. Within five or so minutes, Mikael was completely desiccated, the stake still sticking out of his chest. But he wasn't burning, to Klaus' confusion. Klaus waited for another minute, staring at Mikael's body expectantly, but nothing happened. Klaus turned around to look back at Kol and Freya, only to be shocked when he saw Kol let Freya go, a regretful look on Kol's face. He looked over to Elijah and Rebekah, who both looked guilty as well. "What did you all do? You betrayed me, didn't you?! All of you?!"

"...I'm sorry Nik," Kol said in a sincere tone.

"I took the real white oak stake while you weren't at the compound," Elijah admitted reluctantly. "It's safe with me. The one you had on you... was an ordinary wooden stake I had mystically disguised to look like the white oak stake, thanks to the help of Freya. Father will awaken in a few hours."

"He was in on it, WASN'T HE?!"

"...He was," Elijah replied.

"He's also not going to awaken in a few hours," Freya jumped in, to everyone's surprise, confused at what she was saying. "I do love our father, I know I'm the only one here who does... But he can't be trusted when it comes to Niklaus and his child. His hatred for Niklaus has completely consumed him. Which is why I plan to cast a spell that will keep him desiccated indefinitely. Providing no one revives him with a bit of blood."

"And what do you plan to do about me then? We still have one sister who is annoyingly not a vampire not, and still has her magic. I plan to do something about that," Klaus warned, glaring at Freya.

Kol quickly pulled out the golden dagger, Klaus' eyes widening as soon as he saw what it was. Using his hybrid speed, Klaus ran out of the room, through the compound and into the courtyard, Elijah and Kol following, Rebekah and Freya staying with the desiccated Mikael in the dining room.

"So this it, you're going to dagger me to prevent me from weakening Dahlia?" Klaus asked, looking at both Kol and Elijah, who were standing a few feet away from him, Kol clutching the golden dagger in his right hand.

"We're doing this for Hope, and for the good of _our_ family," Elijah stated, though he looked clearly conflicted. "We need Freya on our side, a witch, if we hope to defeat Dahlia, not a newborn vampire."

"WE DON'T NEED, _HER_!" Klaus bellowed.

As Klaus lunged for Kol, Elijah used his speed to get behind Klaus, grabbing his younger brother with both hands and attempting to restrain the panicked hybrid. Kol held the dagger up to Klaus' chest, though he didn't seem happy to be doing it. Not too long ago, Kol would've been overjoyed to do to Klaus what Klaus had done to him numerous times but now... now he didn't want to. Though he didn't have much of a choice. Freya's magic had come in handy on a couple of occasions now. If it weren't for Freya and her magic, he would still be hexed and trapped in Kaleb's body right now.

Kol shoved the dagger into Klaus' chest, piercing his heart. Klaus gasped and screamed loudly as he began to desiccate, succumbing to the effects of the dagger. _"AHHHHHHH!"_

"For Hope," Elijah said under his breathe as he watched Klaus' skin turn a greyish colour, the veins underneath becoming darkened and visible.

"For Hope," Kol replied, taking his hand off the dagger. Klaus fell to his knees, giving Kol a look of sadness and betrayal. Once Klaus was fully neutralized, his body laying gray and mottled on the floor, Elijah and Kol looked at each other nervously, both of them hating themselves a little for what they had just done.

 **Author's Note:** _I didn't expect last chapter to be so well received, so I'm happy about that. On to the events of the chapter, Klaus still ended up daggered in this story. I'm sorry for those of you who really didn't want it to happen and are now a little disappointed in me. All I can say is, I have my reasons, and if you've enjoyed the story so far, keep reading to see what happens. Klaus being daggered was ultimately too important to the overall storyline to take out, though I did strongly consider not daggering him at all, but it just needed to happen for the sake of the story I wanted to tell if that makes any sense. I hope if you're not happy about Klaus being daggered, you can at least enjoy the parallels of that scene with the Spanish flashback in 2x02 where Elijah and Klaus dagger Kol. Lastly, just to let everyone know this is the last chapter of 2x19 AU, the next chapter will be the start of 2x20 AU: "Help is on the Way". And the idea to dagger Klaus while Klaus was trying to kill Mikael and to have Freya desiccate Mikael to prove her newfound loyalty to her siblings was an idea given to me by Dante 101._


	30. Help is on the Way, Part 1

Episode 20: Help is on the Way

Part One

" _We define ourselves by our family. From birth, we share their names. Entrust them to protect that which we hold most dear. We value them above all others, and yet we are inevitably forced apart. Promises are made and left unkept. Children, in particular, turn their backs on those who raised them, seeking lives of their own. The bond family is not a bond forged on choice. In fact, some would see family as a terrible burden."_

\- Dahlia

 **An Unknown Tomb...**

Dahlia was standing in front of a tall, wooden table in a tomb in Lafayette Cemetery. On top of the table was six, white candles, all lit and carefully arranged, and in the center of the table, was a stone bowl with a severed human heart, a strip of paper with ruinic symbols written on it that spelled Elijah's name, and a lock of hair inside. Dahlia waved her hands over the bowl in a ritualistic manner, chanting in a foreign language while she did so. Suddenly, the ingredients inside the bowl were consumed in flames that seemingly came out of nowhere, the flames on the candles growing in size as well.

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah stood in front of an open casket where the desiccated Klaus was laying, the golden dagger sticking out of his chest, his hands folded. Elijah stared at Klaus with a look of deep regret on his face. He was joined by Rebekah, still in Eva Sinclair's body, who waited for a moment before speaking, staring at Klaus' body with him.

"Are you thinking about taking the dagger out?" Rebekah asked.

"He was our biggest weapon against Dahlia Rebekah, that is without doubt. But I fear he has become too unpredictable when his daughter's safety is concerned. I think it's best if we left him daggered until Hope is safe truth be told."

"Are you sure we can defeat Dahlia without Nik on our side?"

Elijah sighed. "No. With how powerful Dahlia appears to be, even with Kol and I in our original bodies, and Freya with her magic... it doesn't seem likely that attacking her with just the three of us would get us anywhere. Rebekah, we're going to need you a vampire again if we want to increase our odds of defeating her."

Rebekah looked at Elijah for a moment in shock. "Elijah, if I leave this body, it'll die. There would be no soul left in it to keep it alive."

"I know. You would lose out on your chance to lead the mortal life you always wanted to. And for that, Rebekah, I'm truly sorry," Elijah replied, looking over at Rebekah. "But we all must make sacrifices if we expect to keep our niece safe. I know you of all people would understand that."

Rebekah nodded reluctantly, knowing what Elijah was saying was true. "I'll have Freya put me back in my original body as soon as she can."

"Good. Given that nightfall will be here very shortly, I imagine Dahlia will be dropping by any minute now."

"We're going to try and kill her tonight?"

"If she comes for Hope, yes. I have the knife that Kol and Davina bound her weaknesses to, fortunately Niklaus kept in his jacket. Under no circumstances are we handing that baby over to Dahlia."

Elijah turned around and began to walk out of the room, only to feel a sudden pain in his chest. The pain quickly spread all through out his body. "Elijah?" Rebekah asked worriedly, staring at Elijah. Elijah turned around to look back at Rebekah, his eyes darkened along with the veins in his face, which were now visible. He opened his mouth to reveal his vampiric teeth, hissing while he did. Rebekah gasped. It was as if her brother had gone feral within the matter of seconds.

Rebekah tried to back up, but had no real room to. She screamed in terror as Elijah pounced on her, digging his teeth into her carotid artery. He broke the skin with ease, drinking the blood underneath which was now pooling to the surface.

 **An Unknown Tomb...**

Dahlia, still standing in the same place as she was before, took out a flask from her coat pocket filled with human blood. There was no longer a fire in the stone bowl, and all that remained of the items inside was a small pile of ashes. Dahlia poured the blood into the bowl, not taking the ashes out. Once she had emptied the flask, she put the flask back in her coat pocket and began mixing the blood and the ashes together with her fingers. After a few minutes, she took her fingers out, now coated with blood and a bit of ash, waving her fingers in the air while reciting an incantation.

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Klaus awoke with a gasp. He quickly studied his new surroundings. He was no longer in the Mikaelson Compound with his treacherous siblings. No, now he was laying on the ground in a village near a large forest. Currently, he was half-leaning against a stone wall that wrapped around a small cottage. Something about the scenery told him he was no longer in reality. It was either a dream or a hallucination. Or he somehow travelled back in time. He took in a deep breathe as he began to adjust to wherever the hell he was. Suddenly, Dahlia appeared a few feet away from him, out of thin air, with a small smirk on her face. Klaus jumped a little at the sight of her.

"Hello Niklaus," Dahlia said.

Klaus sighed. "Dahlia."

Just remembering that Kol stabbed him in the chest with a golden white oak dagger while Elijah held him down, Klaus looked down at his chest, waiting to see the dagger sticking out, only to find that the dagger was no longer there. But there was an entry wound where the dagger went in, which was now bleeding. Confused, Klaus looked back up at Dahlia, waiting for answers. "What have you done to me?" he asked, slowly getting to his feet. "Where is my daughter? I swear if you've laid one finger on her-"

"I believe she is with her mother, Hayley. I haven't come for her yet, and I haven't laid a finger on her... yet," Dahlia replied.

Klaus glared at her. "You still haven't answered my first question yet. What have you done to me?!"

"I've transported you inside my mind through the use of a spell. And, seeing as you lie daggered by your own beloved brothers, you have _no_ choice but to listen," Dahlia taunted, Klaus looking at her warily. "I have a proposition for you! Come along."

Dahlia started to walk away from the cottage and farther into the village. Klaus frowned for a moment as he watched Dahlia walk away from him, before he began to reluctantly follow behind her.

 **Aiden's Apartment...**

Aiden was furiously unpacking a suit case while Josh watched him with a look of concern, sitting on top of the bed. He didn't know what to say to Aiden. It wasn't like Josh had anyone close to him die before, let alone find them in an alley way with their heart ripped out. "So, I guess it goes without saying that we won't be starting are lives together any time soon," Josh said, hoping to distract Aiden, but Aiden continued to unpack.

"Not until the person that killed Jackson is ripped to shreds," Aiden replied, holding back tears in his eyes. "Whether that's Klaus or—or this Dahlia bitch."

Josh slid off the bed and walked over towards Aiden. "Aiden."

Aiden stopped unpacking, standing up straight and looking at Josh, his eyes watering. "What? What do you want me to say Josh? That getting justice for Jackson is the pack's problem now and not mine?"

"No. I just... I want to be there for you. And I guess I just don't know how to... be there for you. It doesn't matter to me whether we stay in New Orleans or not."

"Good. Because we are staying."

"...Alright."

"No—it's not alright! None of this, is alright Josh! We weren't suppose to still be here right now! Jackson... Jackson wasn't suppose to be..." Aiden couldn't finish the sentence without choking up. Josh pulled Aiden into a hug, Aiden hugging Josh back and beginning to cry.

Josh rubbed Aiden's back in a soothing manner. "Hey, hey... we're gonna get through this, alright? One day at a time."

Aiden didn't say a word, only hugging Josh even tighter as he let the tears flow.

 **Dahlia's Mind-Space...**

Klaus was continuing to follow Dahlia into the village, an annoyed look on his face. "Spare me the agonizing boredom and explain what is you want."

"Quiet," Dahlia ordered.

The two stopped when they made it to the end of the village square. There were young children running around while adult women cleaned and cut fruits and vegetables, men tending to their livestock. Klaus sighed. "I have no use for demented dreamscapes," Klaus stated, Dahlia rolling her eyes.

" _Niklaus,_ listen. I am sure by now it has become clear to you that you are not just in my mind, but in my memories."

Klaus focused his hearing _,_ soon realizing that the village they were in was being attacked by Viking warriors. The Vikings began to violently and mercilessly attack the locals. Klaus found what he recognized as a younger Esther in the village, wearing a yellow dress and a flower crown. Another woman was beside her, whom Klaus assumed to be a younger Dahlia. She was wearing a rose-pink dress, to Klaus' surprise. The young Esther and Dahlia screamed as they ran away from the fighting, eventually stopping and hiding behind a large barrel of hay.

"The Vikings came while you were in the garden," Esther whispered to the young Dahlia. The village was now filled with the slaughtered corpses of men, women and children, the Viking warriors rushing to take down any survivors.

Esther gulped. "I'm scared, Dahlia."

The young Dahlia gave Esther a brave, reassuring smile. She cupped her younger sister's face with her hands. "I will protect us, Esther. Come what may, we _must_ stick together, _always and forever_. Promise?"

Esther nodded. "I promise. Always and forever."

The two sisters clutched each other's hands desperately, pressing their foreheads together as they both began to hum Dahlia's song. Klaus continued to watch them with the adult Dahlia, appearing almost captivated by the events unfolding before his eyes. The young Esther and Dahlia were then found and tackled by a particularly brutish looking Viking warrior. The Viking attempted to take Esther away from Dahlia by grabbing her by the arm and trying to lifting her up.

Dahlia thrusted her hand forward. "No! No! Unhand her!" Dahlia commanded. She sent the Viking warrior flying through the air using her telekinesis, drawing more attention to them. A pair of Viking warriors rushed toward them, throwing feed sacks over their heads before trying to take them away.

Both the young Esther and Dahlia kicked and struggled, refusing to go quietly. "No! No! LET ME GO!" Esther screamed.

"NO! NO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" The younger Dahlia screamed.

The present Dahlia had a crestfallen look on her face as she relived one of the most painful memories of her life. Klaus swallowed, surprisingly disturbed by what he just saw, though he didn't want Dahlia to know that. "Let me guess- the Vikings slaughtered the entire village."

"Esther and I.. we were the only survivors. We promised to stay together-"

"Ah yes, always and forever," Klaus interrupted. "A familiar promise. But, then, you knew that. I suppose you think that makes us _kindred spirits_."

"Not exactly. What I mean to show you is that we can be allies," Dahlia replied. Klaus scowled at her, even though he was actually beginning to consider his aunt's offer.

 **Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah still had his teeth in Rebekah's carotid artery, drinking her blood, when Kol raced into the room they were in, having heard Rebekah's screams, and forced Elijah off of Rebekah. Rebekah put one hand on the wound on her neck, breathing heavily, while Kol looked at Elijah for a moment, noticing that he was still wearing his "vamp face", his lips and chins now covered in Rebekah's blood. Impulsively, Kol punched Elijah in the face. He then grabbed Elijah by the throat and used his vampire speed to force his older brother up against the nearest wall.

"WHO. ARE. _YOU?!_ " Kol yelled at Elijah.

Elijah suddenly reverted back to his human face, both startled and confused. Kol slowly released Elijah and took a few steps back, dusting himself off.

"What just happened?" Elijah asked.

"You just nearly ripped my bloody throat out, that's what happened!" Rebekah snapped.

Elijah immediately shook his head. But then he noticed a familiar taste in his mouth. _Blood._ Fresh blood. "I... I don't understand what happened."

"It was like that incident at the diner all over again."

"I don't think the two events are related," Elijah admitted, though with little certainty.

"...Dahlia's deadline," Kol jumped in. "It's here. Maybe she did something to you. Cast a spell to make your lust for blood momentarily unmanageable. As a means to scare us. Like when she killed Josephine or Jackson. Or when she threw Nik and Father around in the Church. All meant to make us fear just how powerful she really is."

Elijah slowly nodded, seemingly accepting this explanation, still reeling from the fact that he almost killed his own sister, under the influence of a spell or not. Kol then brought his wrist to his mouth, allowing his vamp face to come out so he could bite into his wrist and create an open wound. After he'd done so, he rushed over to the wounded Rebekah and offered her his bleeding wrist. Though hesitating for a minute or two first, Rebekah took Kol's wrist and drank a bit of his blood to help speed the recovery process along.

Elijah felt a strange ache in his veins as he watched Rebekah drink from Kol's wrist.

 **Outside the Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya stood outside the Mikaelson Compound, her arms folded, trying to appear expressionless, even as she stared at the ground. Since waking up in the 21st century and reuniting with the family who she hadn't seen in a thousand years, she trapped Finn's soul in her talisman, killed her mother, and just recently, desiccated her father. The thought was truly depressing. Granted, she was far more upset about Finn and her father than Esther. Finn she expected to be the boy she was taken away from, the boy who wept while his mother comforted him as Dahlia threw her over her shoulder. And her father... she could never, in her wildest dreams imagine Mikael turning out to be the man—or beast he was now.

 _ **The Lyonne Tomb, a few nights ago...**_

 _Freya tried to hold the tears back in her eyes as she stared at Esther, in Lenore's body, waiting for her to say something more. "Is that it? Is that all you have to say in your defense, mother?" Freya asked angrily._

 _Esther stared back at Freya with a look of pure sorrow and regret on her face. "I don't know what else I can say. I-"_

 _"Don't you say it!"_

 _"I loved you Freya. With all my heart-"_

 _"Stop it! You don't get to say those words to me!" Freya screamed. "You gave me away, to someone who went on to kill the man I loved... someone who I killed my son over, just so he wouldn't know the life I had known because Dahlia surely would've enslaved him just as she enslaved me!"_

 _"Freya-"_

 _Freya interrupted her mother by putting two fingers to her mother's forehead, looking more angry than sad at this point. "We are done talking," Freya stated. She grabbed her blue talisman with her other hand and held on to it tightly. "...Cruor nex," Freya said with conviction, every vein in Esther's body suddenly becoming visible and darkened. The veins then started to press up against the surface, Esther crying out in agony while they did. Every vein in Lenore's body then exploded all at once, blood spurting out everywhere._

 _ **Author's Note:** And so ends the first part of **Help is on the Way**. I realized while writing this chapter that I actually enjoy writing angst, which probably isn't a good thing (but a bit of a hypocritical thing because I hate watching or reading angst... go figure). I'm glad that there's some of you who are still enjoying the story, and I understand those who are upset that Klaus got daggered last chapter, but rest assured, he won't stay daggered for too long.  
_


	31. Help is on the Way, Part 2

Episode 20: Help is on the Way

Part Two

 **Kaleb's Family Home...**

Kaleb was sitting down at the kitchen table, having something to eat, a nervous look on his face. His father was sitting on the opposite side of the table, his reading glasses on, a newspaper in his hands. His father looked to be somewhere in his fourties, around six foot tall, had short, dark brown hair and blue eyes. The family resemblance was very apparent. Currently, he was wearing a grey t-shirt, and a pair of dark jeans. "So... are you going to tell me where you were for the last ten months or what?" Kaleb's father asked, continuing to read his newspaper, not even bothering to lower it a little.

"I uh... I was..." Kaleb swallowed. "Staying with a friend."

"Oh," his father replied, sounding unimpressed. "A friend? And here I thought didn't you have any."

"I met him recently. His name's Kol."

"And what made you decide to finally come home after ten months? Did this Kol fellow just get sick of you and decide to kick you out?"

"...You could say that," Kaleb replied.

His father chuckled a little. Kaleb always found the sound of his father's laugh to be very unsettling. Mostly because his father rarely ever laughed. Whatever genuine sense of humor he had died with Kaleb's mother. "So tell me, Kaleb, was Kol another witch?"

"N-no. No."

"Why do I have the feeling that you're lying to me?"

"I'm not. I swear."

"You remember after your mother died, that I made you promise never to practice magic. Let you keep all of her old spell books though, let you read them in your spare time. All you had to do was keep your promise. Imagine my surprise when ten months ago... You used your magic to _hurt_ me," his father said bitterly.

"What? No father, I didn't. I couldn't have."

His father stood up out of his chest and tossed the newspaper on to the floor. "Don't you _lie_ to me Kaleb!"

Kaleb got up out of his chair as well, slowly taking a few steps back, looking utterly terrified. "I'm not! Father I have no idea-"

"You're _lying_!" Kaleb's father shouted. He then grabbed an empty wine glass from his side of the table, wielding it in his right hand like a weapon. "I know you are. Now do it. Show me. Use your magic right now, or this glass is going go into your face!"

"Stop!"

"Show _me_!"

Kaleb held out one hand and thrusted it forward, concentrating on his father. He managed to telekinetically push his father a few steps back, his father dropping the wine glass as he did, the glass shattering when it hit the ground.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Kol walked into Hope's nursery in the Mikaelson Compound, Hayley standing by Hope's crib with a worried look on her face. "Nightfall is here now," Kol started, grabbing Hayley's attention. "I suspect Dahlia will come here looking for her any minute now."

"Great," Hayley replied bitterly. "Thanks for the update. So are we just going to leave Klaus daggered, knowing that Dahlia could storm in here any minute? Look, I know he can be a bit of a handful-"

"A _bit_ is kind of the understatement of the century. Klaus was going to stop at nothing until he turned Freya into a vampire. We didn't have a choice."

"So you all chose the sister you hardly knew over the brother you all grew up with?"

Kol frowned. "It's far more complicated than that. You think I wanted to dagger Nik? None of us did. But Freya... she is one of the most powerful witches I've ever known in a thousand years. She broke my hex, she restored my original body. We can't afford to lose an ally like that. And one can't be a witch and a vampire at the same time. If we turned Freya she would end up some _weakling vampire._ She would hardly be of use to us like that, not to mention she would be more vulnerable than she is right now."

"But that was Klaus' point. Freya is powerful, and you know who is constantly tapping into that power? _Dahlia._ Dahlia can't tap into that power if there's no power left to tap into."

Kol sighed. "Freya very much doesn't want to be one of the undead."

"Which shows just how devoted she is to our cause. If she really wanted to help us kill Dahlia, she would be _begging_ us to turn her."

Kol looked at Hayley curiously for a moment. "You know you sound just like Nik. When I first learned that you were and him weren't a thing, in spite of the fact that you are the mother of his child... I didn't understand why. And now I do. You're too alike. It's why you ended up pining over Elijah instead."

Hayley looked uncomfortable for a moment. "So why did you come here? Just to argue with me about Freya?"

"I wanted to see how my niece was doing... And I wanted to tell you that Freya is casting a spell as we speak that will prevent the use of magic in these walls. So more or less the same spell Josephine cast at the Jazz club. As long as you and Hope don't leave this room, Dahlia won't be able to attack you."

"But what's to stop her from going after the people I love? Like my husband?"

"Right, the Kenner boy. Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately that's something you can't do anything about."

Hayley paused. "Jack's funeral is going to be held tomorrow during daylight hours. It'll be in the Bayou and I want to be there when he's put to rest."

Kol rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. And I don't imagine anyone other than maybe Elijah will try to hold you here against your will. But understand, if you are going to leave this room, and Dahlia is still alive – you are to leave by yourself. Hope does not leave this room until that witch is dead."

"I know."

"Good. We don't have a problem then."

 **Elsewhere in the Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah and Freya were standing in a hallway of the Mikaelson compound, Freya holding a jar full of sand, an anxious look on her face. "We need Hayley and the baby to stay here," Freya insisted. "They mustn't be allowed to leave the compound under any circumstances."

Elijah looked slightly suspicious for a moment. "And why is that?"

"As you know, Dahlia is protected by a powerful magic. We have collected items that represent her vulnerabilities- sacred soil, the ash of a fallen Viking, and the blood of the witch who broke her heart-"

"Yours," Elijah interrupted.

"Yes. Niklaus and Father bound those ingredients to a pair of knives with the help of Kol and Davina. One of those knives... Dahlia destroyed. The other, you obtained after daggering Niklaus, correct?"

Elijah nodded. He took the knife out of one of his suit pockets and presented it to Freya as proof. "All we need is to stab Dahlia with the knife."

"Also correct. But it will be best if we fight Dahlia within the compound, where we have the advantage. She'll only come here if she knows that Hope is here, which she will thanks to Hope's magic."

Elijah stared at the carotid artery on Freya's neck for a moment, a look of hunger in his eyes. "Elijah... are you still thirsty?" Freya asked, noticing the way her brother was staring at her.

Elijah shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it. He didn't know what was wrong with him. "No, I'm not."

"Do not insult my intelligence, I've been around vampires before, I know that look. I thought when you attacked Rebekah earlier—that you only lost control over your bloodlust momentarily."

"I did," Elijah insisted.

Freya gave him a look of disbelief. "Whatever Dahlia did to you, it's still happening."

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Dahlia brought Klaus to a little cottage full of lit white candles, briefly showing him around. "Charming," Klaus remarked as he looked around the inside of the cottage, an unamused look on his face. He wanted nothing more than to be back in his compound, preparing for war against his latest enemy. Instead, he was trapped inside the mind of his latest enemy, who was currently trying to paint herself as a sympathetic figure.

"This _dismal_ hovel is where I endured the terrors of Viking captivity for _years,_ " Dahlia stated.

Dahlia gestured to the door, where an older looking Viking warrior who resembled Mikael a little, brought in a struggling young Dahlia, handling her roughly and brutally throwing her onto the floor. Klaus noticed several cuts on the young Dahlia's face along with a fading black eye. As soon as the Viking was gone, she scrambled to her feet and walked toward a table with more lit candles. She grabbed a snake, which was laying on the table, and ruthlessly sliced it open, squeezing its blood and intestines into a wooden bowl.

"That Viking you just saw," Dahlia started, Klaus looking over to her for a moment. "Was Erik. Mikael's father. If you thought Mikael was dreadful... Erik was worse."

Klaus didn't seem phased by this. "I see. Did you kill him?"

Dahlia paused. "Irrelevant," she replied as she and Klaus watched her younger self cast a spell using the dead snake's remains. "I performed the dark magic they demanded so that Esther would be free of their violent abuse. While she was out in the sun gathering herbs, I toiled in the grey of this room. But, I never resented her. We'd made a promise."

Klaus smirked. "Is this all some feeble attempt to garner my sympathy?" he asked, Dahlia rolling her eyes in annoyance. "To what end? No ancient plight will justify your intentions to enslave my daughter!"

"...Oh, Niklaus. Do you not see by now? Our _plights_ are the same."

Klaus frowned. Just then a smiling Esther, wearing the same crown of flowers upon her head that she had before they were kidnapped, walked into the cottage, joining the young Dahlia. Esther was holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand, a wide smile on her face.

"You've been with Mikael," the young Dahlia stated unhappily.

Esther giggled a little. "We were only talking."

The young Dahlia forced a smile on her face. She then grabbed a bundle of herbs, dipped in the blood of the snake she had just killed, and showed them to Esther, her smile slowly becoming genuine. "No matter. I have something to show you!" The young Dahlia lowered her voice to a whisper, Esther looking at the herbs curiously. "This is _potent_ sage soaked in serpent's blood! It will give us strength. We can get out of this place! Esther, together, we can live forever!"

Esther looked at Dahlia patronizingly and sighed. "Dahlia, stop!" Esther insisted, Dahlia's smile falling. "I no longer wish to practice magic."

While the young Dahlia looked stunned, the present day Dahlia only looked hurt. " _Magic_ has kept us alive!" the young Dahlia protested.

"And Mikael will protect me now, sister!" Esther replied, the young Dahlia taking a few steps back, looking at her little sister in horror. Klaus frowned again as he watched the pair, knowing how this story ends all too well. "We plan to marry... and have a family!"

"I... am your family! I am your _sister_! Esther, we promised each other-"

"I know, and I will always be _my_ sister, Dahlia! But, I wish for children of my own. And... I love him."

Klaus closed his eyes for a moment, remembering when he tried to kill Mikael several hours earlier and would have succeeded had his siblings not conspired against him. He opened his eyes again and watched as Esther turned to leave, only for the young Dahlia to desperately grab her arm and pull her back. "Stay, Esther! Let's sing our song!" the young Dahlia pleaded.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah, in Eva's body, still feeling a little weak from Elijah biting her and nearly killing her, approached a casket, containing her original body. She knew she didn't have much of a choice on whether she was going to go back to her original body or not. She had to. In this body she couldn't help her siblings in the fight against Dahlia. She had just been reminded of how vulnerable this body was in comparison to her old body. If Kol hadn't heard her screaming and came to her rescue, Elijah might very well have killed her. She would be dead right now. The thought disturbed her to say the least. Still, by going back to her original body, she was saying goodbye to the life she had now, the life she always wanted.

"Are you ready?" Freya asked, coming up from behind her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rebekah replied, not taking her eyes off her casket.

Freya was now standing next to Rebekah, a sympathetic smile on her face. "You're doing the right thing Rebekah."

"I know."

Freya paused. "I understand you've wanted to lead a mortal life for quite some time now. And you think by returning to your original body you'll be giving that up," Freya said, Rebekah finally turning her head to look at her as she talked. "But I can preserve this body you're in right now, Eva Sinclair's, so that it'll still be there after we defeat Dahlia and this is all over. You would be able to return to the Sinclair body whenever you chose."

Rebekah looked overwhelmed by what Freya had just said. "Alright."

 **The courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah met up with Cami in the courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound, a tired look on his face. "Camille, glad to see you could drop by on such short notice," Elijah said, greeting her with a strange smile on his face.

"No problem," she replied with a slightly confused look on her face. "Is there a reason why you called?"

"There is."

"Where's Klaus?"

"Daggered," Elijah replied, Cami stunned to hear the word come out of Elijah's mouth. "Perhaps Niklaus told you this, perhaps he did not. His latest plan to kill our aunt Dahlia involved turning our long lost sister Freya, a very powerful witch, into a vampire against her will. You see Dahlia receives some of her power from Freya and since you can't be a witch and a vampire at the same time... turning her would weaken Dahlia. But the rest of this didn't care for this plan for a few different reasons. Still, Niklaus would no doubt do as he pleased regardless of whether we opposed this plan or not. So.. we had him daggered."

"Is that how everyone in your family solves their problems? By daggering the sibling that's upsetting them?"

Elijah frowned. "Had I left Niklaus standing... it would've spelled trouble for us all. You have no idea what he is willing to do to get whatever he wants."

"But you can't just—leave him like that while his daughter is in danger!"

"Please. Your feelings are clouding your judgement."

"My... feelings?"

Elijah looked a little impatient. "For my brother. I am not a fool, Camille," he stated, Cami's face falling. "And Although I valued our time together at the safe house, make no mistake. I was in your head as much as you were in mine."

"How long are you going to leave him like that?" Cami asked, very worried. "Five years? Ten? A lifetime?"

"'Til Hope is safe. Now can we discuss the reason I asked you to come here tonight?"

 _ **Author's Note:** And so ends another chapter. If there's anyone reading this that watches (or watched) Teen Wolf and noticed similarities between Kaleb and Isaac, I'm well aware that there is, I kinda did it on purpose because I loved Isaac. I hope this chapter was to everyone's liking and I hope everyone's looking forward to the next one.  
_


	32. Help is on the Way, Part 3

Episode 20: Help is on the Way

Part Three

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Klaus and Dahlia watched as Esther ripped the young Dahlia's hand off of her arm. She looked at her sleeve for a moment and grew angry when she realized that the young Dahlia's bloody fingers had stained her white dress. "I don't even remember that silly little tune anymore, Dahlia!" Esther responded, letting out a sigh and trying to wipe the bloodstain off of her sleeve with a look of disgust on her face.

"Of course you do.." the young Dahlia said quietly and desperately, only for Esther to look away from her, breaking her heart.

Klaus looked over to the present day Dahlia, almost with sympathy, before looking back to Esther and watching as the younger version of his mother left the hovel. The Young Dahlia started to rub the bundle of sage and hummed her song under her breath as she tried in vain not to cry. After a moment, she fell to her knees on the floor and began to sob as she hummed. Present-day Dahlia closed her eyes, almost crying a little herself. She walked over and knelt in front of her younger self, looking at her sadly.

It was as he watched Dahlia with her younger self that something occurred to Klaus. Dahlia's weaknesses were represented with three items; the ashes of her viking oppressors, the soil of her native land... and the blood of the witch she loved most, which Freya assumed to be herself. But now Klaus realized that wasn't the case. It was quite clear to him right here and now that Esther was the witch Dahlia loved the most. The blood they needed wasn't Freya's, it was his mother's.

 **The Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami gave Elijah a confused look. "You asked me here to be Hayley's therapist while the rest of you are _gearing up for war_?" Cami asked.

"Well, not exactly," Elijah replied. "Hope's nursery is a mystical safe haven, if Dahlia stepped inside the room she would be rendered powerless thanks to a spell Freya cast earlier. Since Dahlia seems to be making a habit of killing are allies... I'd rather you not be her next victim. Certainly Niklaus wouldn't want you to be either. But if you could give Hayley someone to talk to in a time like this, when her husband's been murdered... someone who she was not once romantically involved with..."

"Alright, I understand."

"Good, it's settled then."

"I didn't say that. I want something in return for helping you out," Cami stated, to Elijah's surprise.

"You are helping Hayley, not me-"

"Did Hayley ever ask for help-"

"Well no-"

Cami threw Elijah a look. "I find it interesting that you think my feelings for Klaus—which I may or may not have," Cami got a little flustered. "Cloud _my_ judgement. What about your feelings for Hayley?"

Elijah disregarded what Cami just said. "So you're not going to talk to Hayley just out of the goodness of your heart, then?"

Cami now looked a little nervous. The truth is she would. But she was trying to take advantage of the situation that was being presented to her. "Well—you're also asking me to stay in a room for god knows how long because my potential death would be an inconvenience for you. And maybe I don't feel like doing that. Or taking time out of my day to talk to someone I hardly know. I want a more definitive answer on when you're going to pull that dagger out of Klaus' chest."

"Did I not say _'til Hope is safe_?"

"Yes but that was a very vague response if you ask me."

Elijah grimaced. Suddenly, he felt an odd tingling sensation in his veins. Cami stared at him for a moment, a little concerned, until Elijah's eyes darkened, his vampire physical features coming out. Cami's heart nearly skipped a heart at Elijah's sudden transformation. He reached one arm out and grabbed Cami by the throat. " _How about this, you will help me Camille or when I get finished with you, there won't be enough of your blood left in your body to fill a teaspoon,_ " Elijah threatened, Cami starting to gasp for air, frightened at the sudden change in Elijah's character.

"Elijah... this isn't you," Cami pleaded, looking into Elijah's stone cold eyes.

Elijah released his grip on Cami's neck, reverting back to his human face, looking utterly horrified at what he had just done. "Camille, I'm so sorry—I don't know-"

Cami put one hand on her throat, still gasping for air a little. "What the hell is wrong with you Elijah? I would expect something like that from... Finn, or Mikael. But not you."

Elijah appeared to be at a loss of words. "Dahlia... did something to me. I'm not sure what exactly, but... I shouldn't be around any humans right now. I fear I'm... losing control of myself."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Kol joined Freya and Rebekah in a room in the Mikaelson compound where a few caskets were stored, Rebekah now in her original body again, the Eva Sinclair body laying in a half open casket behind her. "Good to see you back in your own body sister. But are you really going to keep the decomposing corpse of Eva Sinclair?" Kol asked, a little confused.

"Freya's going to preserve her body," Rebekah replied, to Kol's surprise. "So I'll be able to jump back into it if I so choose when Dahlia is dead and the threat to our niece's life eliminated."

Kol looked over to Freya, who nodded. "Good for you Bekah. I'm glad. You deserve to live the life you want to live."

"Thank you."

It was quiet for a brief moment before Freya opened her mouth and started up a new conversation. "Elijah was looking at my neck earlier, not long after he bit Rebekah," Freya stated, to Kol and Rebekah's concern. "He looked like he was not just still hungry, like he was starving. Dahlia did something to him, and I think whatever she did, involved using the heart of that witch elder- Josephine LaRue. They never did find her heart, did they?"

Kol shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure she took it with her – I assumed she kept it as a trophy."

"Maybe not. Maybe she used it as an ingredient for some dark magic ritual to heighten Elijah's bloodlust."

"Does make sense now that you mention it. If she did, we're in trouble. Magic like that isn't undone easily," Kol noted.

"No, no it wouldn't be. But that would be the point. Elijah would become so unpredictable, like Klaus is, that we would be forced to remove him from play because he could no longer be trusted. I assume the two of you will agree with me when I say that we shouldn't consider that an option."

"I'm not sure we have much of a choice, Freya, he nearly killed me," Rebekah pointed out. "He bloody well might've if not for Kol stopping him."

Freya sighed. "You would've ended up back in your own body if he did."

Rebekah looked at Freya with scepticism. "Are you certain of that?"

"No. I'm assuming you would. Your spirit would have nowhere else to go."

"Except to whatever world awaits me after this one... If there is one."

"Oh I'm certain there is," Kol added. "But that's getting off topic. If Elijah attacks one of us again because he's lost control, then I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to dagger him as well."

Freya looked at Kol incredulously. "We stand no chance of defeating Dahlia just the three of us. We need Elijah to stay undaggered, regardless of whatever spell Dahlia has cast to influence his bloodlust."

"Isn't there something else we can do that doesn't involve daggers?" Rebekah asked. "Anything? Some spell we can cast that won't take a lot of work?"

Kol and Freya took a minute to think. "There are some herbs I know of," Kol admitted. "That can act as ingredients for a spell that might help keep him under control. But that's hard to say. Dahlia's spell might be so powerful it'll trump anything we try to help."

"Well, we have to try something."

 **Marcel's Loft...**

Davina entered into the living area of Marcel's loft with him, both of them taking a seat on opposite sides of a table, Davina sitting on a couch while Marcel sat in a chair. "So, why did you really hit me up at this hour?" Davina asked, Marcel letting out a sigh.

"You know how a while back you were working on a way to sever the connection between Josh, me and Klaus?"

"So that if Mikael killed Klaus you guys wouldn't go down with him?"

Marcel nodded. "Dahlia told Klaus that she was coming for his daughter tonight. That was before he got daggered. And I have a feeling that Dahlia is someone that makes good on her threats. And if the rest of the Mikaelsons can't hold Dahlia off or get cold feet about keeping Klaus daggered... they might pull that dagger out."

Davina had a mildly surprised look on her face as she realized where Marcel was going with this. "If Dahlia kills Klaus, you don't wanna go down with him. You want me to finish what I started."

Marcel now had a conflicted look on his face. "I don't want to ask something like this of you D, but I'm afraid I'm all fresh out of witch allies. And you already know how to do it, erase a vampire from an original's bloodline?"

"I do. In theory."

"Will you?"

Davina paused. "I'll try."

"Good. But I don't want you to just erase me from Klaus bloodline—Josh and Gia too."

"You wouldn't have to ask for Josh. What's the deal with you and Gia? Didn't you take her as a date to Hayley and Jackson's wedding?"

Marcel smiled. "We're just friends. I mean it's not like I haven't thought about... there's just not any chemistry there."

"Not like there is with you and Rebekah?" Davina teased.

Marcel's smile fell. "No."

Davina gave Marcel a kind, reassuring look. "I think you guys are gonna make it work some day."

"Why's that?"

"Let's just say I have a feeling," Davina got up from where she was sitting, as did Marcel. "But, I should really get to work on that bloodline spell, considering Dahlia could arrive at the Compound at any minute. Kol is keeping me updated with texts."

Marcel frowned. "That reminds me, whose idea was it to put his original body back together again? I thought Kol liked being a witch."

"He does," Davina stated, starting to frown a little herself. She hated how antagonistic Kol and Marcel were towards each other. "And for your information, it was his choice. He wanted to be an original vampire again so he could help protect his niece against Dahlia."

"Is that what he told you?"

"He's not as evil as you make him out to be."

"Maybe not. But D, take it from someone who's seen things like this happen all the time. You don't date a vampire without becoming one yourself eventually. That or you end up date."

Davina was now glaring at Marcel. "Well, thanks for the heads up then. Now let me give you one. It's not smart to insult the person you just asked a favour from."

"I didn't mean to insult you—I just want to protect you."

"I don't need someone to protect me. I can protect myself."

Davina walked out of the room, past Marcel, a slightly furious look on her face. Marcel pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out another sigh. A part of him really wished he hadn't said what he just said to Davina.

It was at that moment that the ringtone of Marcel's cellphone went off. Reluctantly, Marcel took his cellphone out. The person calling him was none other than Rebekah. Marcel answered the call and put his phone up to his ear. "Hey Rebekah, what's up?" he asked.

"Dahlia cast some sort of spell to mess with Elijah's bloodlust, it's quickly becoming problematic. I know you might very well be busy right now, but I need you to go out and grab a few things for me, for a spell that could help Elijah. Can you?"

"Yeah. Of course."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah joined Kol, Rebekah and Freya in the living area of the compound, everyone standing around and looking varying degrees of anxious. "So, what is our next course of action?" Elijah asked, looking to Freya.

Freya folded her arms. "We're working on a way to help you with your heightened bloodlust. We have Marcel gathering some herbs for us as we speak."

Elijah nodded nervously. "That's good. But we can't afford to be wasting time focusing on my problems."

"This particular problem is affecting us all, Elijah," Rebekah added looking at Elijah with sympathy. "If we're going to work together to take down Dahlia, we need to be able to trust one another, and not worry about whether you're going to lose control again."

"Bekah's right," Kol jumped in, giving his two cents.

Elijah sighed. "Very well then."

"And concerning Dahlia, I've come up with a new plan to protect Hope. Back when I was trying to break Finn's hex and get out of dying, again, I used representational magic. I tried to transfer the hex into a clay doll, a golem," Kol explained, everyone looking to him, waiting for what he was going to say next. "We just have to decide on a way to replicate Hope's source of power, transfer it into a doll... and we've got ourselves a decoy. Then we can take the decoy outside of the compound and lure Dahlia somewhere else where the baby isn't."

Rebekah and Elijah seemed impressed with the plan while Freya looked more sceptical. "We're going to try and fool a one thousand year old witch? One who has indescribable power?" Freya asked.

"I don't see why not."

"I don't see a problem with the plan we already have."

"That child is the future of _our_ family," Kol stated, half glaring at Freya. "So understandably I will do what I can to keep her safe from our maniacal aunt, as should you."

"I just don't think Dahlia will be fooled so easily and I would rather not take chances," Freya replied. "I have wanted to end Dahlia's life for so long now."

Kol half smirked. "You know what just occurred to me, sister? That you care more about killing Dahlia than you do about keeping your niece safe."

Freya seemed a little annoyed by the accusation, even though there was some truth to it. "I care about the safety of all of you, including Hope. I didn't work so hard to reunite with my family only to see them die or worse.. be enslaved by the same monster who enslaved me."

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Dahlia was still kneeling in front of her younger self while Klaus wandered around the room. "So, my mother was _cruel_. You'll excuse my complete lack of surprise. Seems it _does_ run in the family," Klaus stated, trying to make conversation with Dahlia.

Dahlia looked over at Klaus, unimpressed. "She left me for the very men who slaughtered our village and stole us away. My own _sister_ abandoned me, just as your siblings have done," Dahlia replied, Klaus scowling angrily at the reminder of his siblings' betrayal. "And, like you, I have been unjustly painted as the villain of the story."

After a moment, the young Dahlia rose to her feet and walked over to the table, angrily shoving all of the materials on top of it onto the floor. She screamed in anger, before starting to sob again, Klaus turning away from her, visibly uncomfortable at the sight of a younger, more emotional Dahlia.

"If you have a deal to propose, then find my body and undagger me!" Klaus demanded, looking at the present day Dahlia.

Dahlia rose to her feet and wiped away a single tear from her cheek. She slowly walked toward her younger self, who was now looking at some of the ruined materials of her spell. "Oh, I have the means to undagger you Klaus. I'm just not finished here yet."

"I don't care about my mother!" Klaus insisted, frustrated.

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "What I have to show you next is not about your mother. It's about your _daughter_. And, if you have any chance to save her of what is to come, I suggest you _listen_."

Klaus sighed and stared at Dahlia for a moment, dreading what she could possibly have to say or show him next.

 **Author's Note:** _So this was the latest chapter. I was hoping to having this story finished by the end of August but I can see now that that will not be the case. Oh well, you can never really accurately predict how long it will take to write a story. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate you, my readers, for continuing to read this story and giving me the motivation to continue writing it._ _As always, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and fear not for those who really want that dagger out of Klaus' chest, he will be undaggered before 2x20 AU ends. As to who will be the one to take the dagger out... I think I'll leave you guessing._


	33. Help is on the Way, Part 4

Episode 20: Help is on the Way

Part Four

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Dahlia was leading Klaus through a dark forest, the two of them still travelling through her memories, but this time, they were some time in the early 11th century. "Very cliché. Tell me, do you know if you inspired the witches of Grimm lore or not? Enslaving a young girl in a hut on the edge of a dark forest? I suppose you plan for this to be Hope's fate," Klaus said, looking very unimpressed.

Dahlia gritted her teeth. "In spite of what she may have told you, I did _not_ enslave Freya. I kept her from those who abuse our craft, demonized us... and, most importantly, I shielded her from herself."

Klaus spotted a young adult Freya, who was wearing a yellow wool dress. From what Klaus could tell, she had set up a table in the woods next to a fire, where she was presumably preforming a spell. There were small, strange looking dolls hung in the trees around her, various herbs and plants on top of the table. She scooped up a handful of the herbs, walking closer to the fire so she could stand in front of it. She threw the handful of herbs into it, looking furious as she watched them burn. She then held up one hand, causing the fire to grow from a small flame to the size of a large, roaring bonfire.

A now slightly older looking, past version of Dahlia came out and approached Freya, a worried look on her face. "Freya. Freya! Freya!" Past Dahlia shouted, grabbing one of Freya's arms and squeezing it tight, breaking Freya out of her trance. Freya then looked at the fire and frowned. "Where did you get the yellow harrow, Freya?"

Freya continued to stare at the fire, breathing deeply, not answering Past Dahlia's question. It then occurred to Past Dahlia what Freya had done exactly. "You _cannot_ go past the stream, it is too dangerous!" Past Dahlia warned.

Freya rolled her eyes. "Then where shall I go Aunt Dahlia? To the hovel? Or maybe to your garden? Oh, no, I'm not allowed to venture that far- I might encounter another person, and you would not stand for that!"

Past Dahlia quickly and roughly grabbed Freya's hands. "People are frightened of what they do not understand!" Past Dahlia let go of Freya's hands, moving her own hands up to gently caress Freya's face. "They will only hate you-"

Freya smacked Past Dahlia's hands away from her. " _I_ hate this place! I want to see _more_ than the same trees, the same hills, a _face_ that isn't _yours!_ "

Suddenly, Freya felt overwhelmed with power, the wind around her starting to blow intensely. She didn't fully understand what was going on, she just knew it had something to do with her magic.

"Freya, control it," Past Dahlia said firmly, Freya whimpering, putting her hands on her head, over her ears as the wind grew stronger and more violent. "Control yourself, Freya!"

The present day Dahlia and Klaus continued to watch the scene play out, Dahlia giving Klaus a look that told him to pay close attention as to what was going on with Freya and her younger counterpart.

"Focus!" Past Dahlia shouted.

Freya was still clutching her head as the wind whipped her long, golden hair around her face, her nose starting to bleed profusely as a result of the immense magical power she was using. Past Dahlia lifted her arms to protect her face from the wind as Freya began to spit up copious amounts of blood, to Past Dahlia's concern.

"Freya! Freya!"

Suddenly, dozens of dead starlings and crows began to fall from the sky, raining down around the two witches like something out of horror movie. Freya screamed at the top of her lungs and clutched her temples as she fell to her knees, sobbing in pain, still bleeding from the nose and mouth. Past Dahlia knelt down in front of Freya, wrapping her arms around her and humming. After a moment, the wind started to slowly die down and Freya stopped bleeding, regaining control. Past Dahlia took Freya's face in her hands and looked into her niece's frightened, little eyes. "Sing with me. Calm your heart."

Freya began to hum with Past Dahlia, still crying a little, while Klaus watched the two of them, stunned. Klaus turned to look at the present day Dahlia. "She was completely out of control," he said quietly.

"The first-born witches in our bloodline possess devastating power."

Klaus sighed, walking closer towards Freya and Past Dahlia, still kneeling on the ground, hugging one another tightly. "You're saying this is what's to come for Hope?"

Dahlia looked down at the ground for a moment, a before looking back up at Klaus with a look of sympathy in her eyes. "Hope will suffer _far more_ than Freya. Hope's magic will be tainted by your vampire blood as well as the aggressive wolf temperament. Without the proper tutelage that only _I_ can provide, Hope's power will grow unchecked. She will lash out at _everyone..._ including you I'm afraid. She will devastate the city that you love, and then her terror will spread _far_ beyond. I, too, am a first-born, so I was the only one to help save Freya from herself, just as I am the only one who can save your daughter!" Dahlia proclaimed, Klaus turning to look back at her. "You've seen it, Klaus. You need me."

"You make a very compelling case," Klaus admitted. "But how do I know this isn't all some elaborate illusion—you are expecting me to believe every word you're saying is true."

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Don't let Hope suffer because of your paranoia. I have no need to lie to you Niklaus, everything I've shown you, has actually happened, is part of my past. You have seen my power just as you have seen Freya's power. And even if I were lying, is that a chance you are willing to take?" Dahlia asked, Klaus frowning, obviously conflicted. "We need not be enemies. Given the chance we could prove to be a very good allies."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami was standing in the nursery of the compound, a few feet away from Hayley, near Hope's crib. Hope seemed to be sound asleep, in spite of everything that was going on in the compound that might've woken most other babies up. But then Hope was no ordinary baby.

"So, how are you?" Cami asked, attempting a friendly smile, looking at Hayley.

Hayley sighed. "I've been better. I'm sure you have been too, seeing as one of your friends was just daggered and Elijah brought you here to play therapist to yours truly."

Cami's smile fell. For some reason she opted not to discuss Klaus with Hayley. "I don't mind helping people, or just being someone for others to vent to. It's kinda what I want to do for the rest of my life."

Hayley smirked. "I imagine you'd at least like to be getting paid for it by now."

"Well money has been tight lately now that you mention it. Being a bartender doesn't pay as well as you would think."

"Probably not."

Cami took a minute to think of what to say next, what she could say to encourage Hayley to talk about Jackson. "So, can we expand on the _I've been better_?"

"Well my friend slash husband is dead because he chose to marry me of all people, there's a one thousand year old witch out there who wants to take my baby and raise it as her own, that witch being the same person who killed my husband... and if I try to stop this witch from taking my baby, she'll kill me, and anyone else that tries to stop her. And given that she beat the living daylight out of Klaus and Mikael without tiring herself out, what chance do we have of stopping her if we try to fight her?"

"One thing at a time. How about we start with Jackson?"

"What about him?"

"If you don't mind me asking... did you love him? Because last I checked, it was Elijah you had eyes for."

Hayley was a little taken aback by the question. "Of course I did. And I loved him the same way he loved me," Hayley insisted, with a look of slight hesitancy on her face, which didn't go unnoticed by Cami. "Maybe... Maybe I just didn't love him as much as he loved me. He was willing to wait for forever to get a chance to be with me and I... I can't say the same. I don't think I could ever love someone that much."

"And that makes you feel guilty?"

Hayley shook her head, to Cami's scepticism. "No—well, fine... maybe a little. But what makes me feel really guilty is that Jackson would still be here-" Hayley paused, starting to become a little emotional, but doing her best to restrain herself in front of Cami. "-If he hadn't married me. Jack had his faults like anybody, but, he was a good guy. And _nobody_ deserved to die the way he did. Especially him."

 **Elsewhere in the Compound...**

Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Freya were still standing around inside the living area of the compound, continuing to discuss strategy. "Fine, maybe she won't be fooled by something like a doll," Kol said, to Elijah and Rebekah's curiosity. "What if we used something with a _heartbeat_? A living person? Admittedly it would be a lost easier to fool her then."

"Say we do this," Freya started. "Who would be the living person in question? The person to play the role of scapegoat?"

"I was thinking you."

Freya was caught a little off guard. "Me?"

"Yes. I take it you object?"

"You will be painting a large target on my back," Freya pointed out. "Why wouldn't I object? Dahlia would be chasing me then-"

"And not our niece. I rather like this idea myself. And if you truly want to be a member of this family, you will put that child's needs before your own."

Freya looked over to Elijah and Rebekah, who seemed to silently be on board with Kol's new plan. Freya sighed. She didn't see where she had much of a choice in the matter, other than to go along with the plan, less all of her siblings think her to be more selfish than what they already perceived her to be.  
"Alright. I'll do it."

Kol seemed a little surprised yet satisfied with the outcome.

 **Outside a Magic Shop, the French Quarter...**

Marcel was outside an older looking shop, holding a bag containing various herbs in one hand. Walking towards the shop was Vincent, who Marcel hadn't seen since Finn's spirit had been expelled from his body. Curious, Marcel started walking towards him. "Vincent!"

Vincent took a step back, stopping in his tracks, an unamused look on his face. "Well if it isn't Marcel Gerard."

Marcel finally met up with Vincent. "So you know who I am then."

"Former vampire king of the French Quarter, killer of a lot of innocent witches," Vincent replied, Marcel frowning. "Yeah I know who you are. What's up?"

"I was under the impression that you left the city after Freya kicked Finn's soul out of your body."

Vincent laughed a little. "I've been meaning to get around to that. But as of right now, I still live in the Big Easy. Just been laying low seeing as how that Original that was possessing my body for over nine months made a lot of enemies. Enemies that would like nothing more than to see me dead."

"Yeah, that's rough. What made you come out of your house then, to a magic shop no less?"

"Not that it's any of your business but I'm looking to buy a few ingredients for a spell I was looking to cast. And what about you? Surprises me that you can still show your face in a shop like that after-"

"I know. Killing a lot of witches. These," Marcel said, gesturing to the bag. "Are just for a friend."

"Right. Davina Claire I'm guessing?"

Marcel shook his head. "No actually."

"Huh. Well, I should really get going, I would say nice talking to you, but I would be lying," Vincent replied, walking past Marcel without saying another word, and over to the magic shop. Marcel watched as he walked away, looking at him suspiciously.

 **Dahlia's Mind-Space...**

Klaus and Dahlia are continuing to watch as Past Dahlia helped a weakened Freya back into their cottage. Once they made it inside, present-day Dahlia bent over and picked up a dead crow before beginning to speak again. "Your daughter will need my guidance just as Freya did."

Klaus smirked in response, trying to hide just how conflicted he was by Dahlia's offer. "If you don't mind, I think I'll find someone a little less hostile to teach her. Shouldn't be difficult—practically _anyone_ will fit that criteria."

Dahlia stroked one of the dead crow's feathers. "Will you be interviewing tutors while you lie dessicated?" Dahlia asked, not the least bit concerned. Klaus' smirk faded. "How long, do you think, before Elijah, Rebekah and Kol release you? How old will Hope be?"

Klaus grimaced, walking closer towards Dahlia. "So, after twice failing to create a family of your own, now you wish to commandeer mine?" Klaus asked, Dahlia giving him a perplexed look. "Not going to happen, sweetheart."

" _Family?_ You think I'm doing all this, for family? Have you not been paying attention to what I've shown you, to what I've told you? Family only ever brought me _pain_. I want power. I am _owed_ Hope's, and without it, I will slumber again within the year. Freya turned on me because I denied her a _basic_ need – the love of a parent. That is why I _need_ you, Niklaus, to remain her father."

Klaus was surprised by this admission, and when Dahlia turned to walk back into the woods, Klaus followed behind her. "Unexpected, I know. Try to imagine this – you will get to raise your daughter, and I will channel the magic that has been promised to me. And, in so doing, I would help Hope to hone a craft that you couldn't possibly comprehend."

Klaus gawked, but Dahlia continued to talk, trying to make her case. "With us by your side, no one would _ever_ test you, _ever_ again. This is something you want, is it not? Or... you could lie there and pray that someone releases you before Hope learns to call Elijah _daddy_. I mean now that Jackson is out of the picture it's only a matter of time before he begins to court her again."

Klaus was fuming at the thought of his daughter calling anyone else her father, especially the older brother who had just been betrayed him, who was partly responsible for him being daggered right now.

 **The nursery of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami and Hayley were still talking about Hayley's troubles when Rebekah entered into the nursery, a worried look on her face. "Is everything alright here?" Rebekah asked.

"Yeah, Rebekah. Everything's fine. Hope's still sleeping," Hayley replied, Rebekah now going from looking worried to conflicted, to Hayley's concern.

"Kol came up with a new plan. One that's admittedly much better than our original plan. It involves replicating Hope's magic so we can lure Dahlia to somewhere that isn't the compound, so Hope will be in far less danger when Dahlia finally does show up."

"Alright."

"But.. in order to replicate Hope's magic, we're going to need a vial of the little girl's blood. Then we'll inject Freya with Hope's blood and Dahlia will start pursuing her and not Hope."

Hayley cringed, not liking the idea of taking a vial of her daughter's blood. "Is the blood absolutely necessary?" Cami asked, looking a little concerned herself.

"I wouldn't have asked for it if it wasn't."

"Alright, we'll do this," Hayley accepted, knowing it was the best plan they had to keep her daughter safe.

"And I'll be right back, I just have to use the bathroom," Cami added, walking past Hayley and Rebekah, leaving the room. She knew where the daggered Klaus was being kept, thanks to Hayley, and while she didn't want to upset his siblings, namely Elijah, she wasn't going to stand for someone she cared about being left to rot in a coffin while his daughter was in grave danger. She was going to pull the dagger out of his chest if it was the last thing she did.

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Dahlia was looking at a round stone in her hands that she had just picked up as she and Klaus continued to talk in the woods of Dahlia's mind space. "By all means, Klaus, think it over. Though, know this- I shall not ask twice."

"In my experience, an offer from a malevolent witch _always_ comes with a catch. And I suspect you're no different. So tell me... what's yours?"

Dahlia sighed and hesitated for a long moment before opening her mouth to speak again. "Hope is all Hayley will ever have, as long as she remains a hybrid. She _will_ fight us. She will not relent. In order for us to succeed and live in peace... I'm sorry but Hayley will have to be eliminated."

Dahlia watched Klaus carefully to see how he would react. Klaus smiled fakely and feigned civility. "You would have me rob my daughter of her mother so she will grow to hate me? What kind of _fool_ do you take me for?!"

"Is that a yes... or a no? When she grows, you can tell her whatever story you like. But in the end, the truth is you will have made the right choice for her."

Klaus folded his arms, Dahlia staring at him expectantly. If Klaus rejected her offer, his siblings would surely leave him daggered. Not only that but the weapon that they would have taken off his desiccated body to kill Dahlia, was blessed with the wrong blood. When Dahlia decides to go after them to take Hope, they wouldn't stand a chance. If they tried killing her with that weapon they would fail. But if Klaus took her offer, it meant putting Hayley in harm's way and while they may not be the best of friends, she was still the mother of his child and someone he cared about.

 **Author's Note:** _So for those of you who guessed Camille would be the one to undagger Klaus, you called it. But then it looks like, just going by the reviews, that a few of you had that idea so not really much of a surprise. When I realized this, I considered having someone else be the one to do it, but I came to the conclusion that when a story does something just for "shock factor" it isn't necessarily good for the story. I mean it can be. Anyhow, thank you to all those who reviewed last chapter and as always, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter._


	34. Help is on the Way, Part 5

The Originals Alternate Season Two

Episode 20: Help is on the Way

Part Five

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami was currently in one of the smaller rooms of the Mikaelson compound, where about four caskets were being kept. Cami knew she had to act quickly, it would only be a matter of time before Rebekah realized what she was doing. She walked up to and approached one of the caskets, hoping that it would be the one containing Klaus' desiccated body. She pulled up the top half of the casket, and as she did, she saw Klaus laying inside out of the corner of her eye, to her relief. As soon as she had one half of the casket fully opened, confident that it wouldn't fall, she redirected her attention to the desiccated Klaus that was lying inside.

She looked at Klaus in horror, staring at his face first, noticing his now greyish skin, and his now visible, darkened veins. Cami's eyes then made their way down to Klaus' chest, half of a dagger sticking out, plunged into his heart. Putting both hands on the handle of the dagger, Cami lifted upwards and pulled the weapon out of Klaus' chest.

 **Dahlia's Mind Space / The Compound...**

Dahlia and Klaus were still standing somewhere in the dark woods of Dahlia's mind space, when Klaus felt a tingling sensation in his chest. Both Dahlia and Klaus stared down at the open wound in his chest slowly beginning to close. "Looks like I was wrong. Someone did pull that dagger out after all. You still have yet to give me an answer though Niklaus. You know now that _I_ am the only one capable of saving your daughter from herself. And whether you refuse me or not, I will get my hands on that child and I will take what is rightfully mine. But should you side with me, you will still get to play the role of father in Hope's life. The choice is yours."

Before Klaus could open his mouth to respond, he suddenly found himself laying in a half open casket, a nervous Camille standing a few feet away from him, holding the golden dagger that had been used to neutralize him in one hand. Klaus slowly sat up, the veins on his face becoming less prominent and colour gradually being restored to his cheeks.

Cami impulsively ran up to Klaus, still sitting upright in the casket, wrapping both of her arms around him and hugging him tightly, still clutching the dagger in one hand. After a moment, Klaus hugged her back, shedding a couple of tears while he did. He didn't think he had ever been so grateful for anyone in his life.

 **An Unknown Tomb...**

Dahlia was standing in front of the same tall, wooden table she was standing in front of earlier, her fingers still coated in blood mixed with ash. There was one other person she still wanted inside her mind, one other person she wanted to have a word with. But this time, she wouldn't be looking to make a deal with them. Dahlia began to chant once more, rubbing her hands and fingers together while she did.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Cami and Klaus were still hugging when Rebekah entered into the room, a horrified look on her face as she stared at a very much awake Klaus. "Nik- Cami what the bloody hell did you do?!"

Cami turned around to face Rebekah, Klaus opening up the casket further and climbing out, standing next to Cami in a protective manner as he stared down Rebekah. "I pulled the dagger out because it became clear to me that no one else was going to unless I did. Especially not Elijah," Cami replied, in spite of being just a little bit afraid of Rebekah right now, knowing how powerful she was as an Original vampire.

"Don't be angry with Camille sister, she was only doing the right thing," Klaus pointed out bitterly, Rebekah eyeing him cautiously. "Something you know nothing about."

"Nik, we only did what we had to-"

"To keep my daughter safe?" Klaus interrupted, Rebekah nodding. "As if I wouldn't understand such a thing? By daggering me you put her in danger. If Dahlia had showed up-"

"How do you know that she didn't?"

"Because I was with her, the entire time I was daggered," Klaus revealed, to Cami and Rebekah's surprise. "She cast a spell that transported my consciousness into her mind. She wanted to make me an offer, but before she did, we took a trip down memory lane. Where I learned that the first born children on our mother's side of the family are gifted with devastating power. That would include Dahlia herself, Freya... and Hope."

"What?"

"It's the reason why Freya is more powerful than any witch we've ever known. But she can only control that power because Dahlia taught her how to. Meaning Dahlia is the only one who can teach Hope how to control her power. But I'll explain more on that later—right now, I would really like to see the older brother who held me down while Kol shoved a dagger into my heart. I have a bone to pick him," Klaus replied, Rebekah and Cami looking at Klaus nervously.

 **The Bayou, Mary's Cabin...**

Aiden entered through the front door of Mary Dumas' cabin, an anxious look on his face. This was his first time seeing her since Jackson died, and he didn't know the protocal for handling a dead friend's grieving grandmother.

Mary greeted Aiden at the door, nodding at him, a sad look on her face. "Hello Aiden."

Aiden gave a small nod. He knew Mary wasn't really one for hugs and he couldn't imagine that would ever change, even given recent circumstances. "Hello Mrs. Dumas."

"How many times have I told you to call me Mary?" she asked, unimpressed.

"Too many times to remember."

"Come in. Grab a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Aiden walked into the cabin and made his way to a table, pulling out a chair. Mary sat down at the opposite side of the table. "I'm glad you showed up. I wasn't sure you were going to make it. Seeing as you spend so much time these days with your vampire lover."

Aiden tried to force a polite smile on his face. "His name is Josh. Joshua Rosza. And if I'm going to be alpha of this pack, even for a little while... it would be good for you to learn his name."

"That's actually what I brought you here to talk about. How long do you plan on being an Alpha to this pack? A few months? A year? Two years?"

"Just until a new, better alpha is found. And Jackson's killer is found and brought to justice. Then I'll be hitting the road with Josh so we can finally start our lives together, like we planned before... well, before-"

"Before Jackson died," Mary finished for him, Aiden looking deeply uncomfortable. "He would've wanted you to be alpha to this pack you know, in the event of his death. He told me so."

"That was before he knew I betrayed him by allying myself with Klaus."

"But you came clean to him before he died, did you not?" Mary asked, Aiden nodding. "And if I knew my grandson as well as I think I did, he forgave you for this shortcoming."

"...He did."

"Jackson forgave you Aiden. Don't you think you should do the right thing, and honor his wishes by being the alpha of this pack for as long as you can?"

Aiden sighed. "I would love to. If I thought I would make a good one, which I use to, but I don't anymore... in light of recent circumstances. I know what Jackson would've wanted, but, I have to think about what's best for this pack and its future. I have to put the living over the dead."

Mary smirked bitterly. "Sounds like something an alpha would say."

"Mrs. Dumas, I am so sorry-"

"Don't give me your sympathies Aiden. I wasn't the only one who lost him," Mary interrupted, looking at Aiden expectantly, Aiden nodding at her, not knowing what he could possibly say to that. "I don't need any apologies either. In spite of what you may think Aiden Lanier, Jackson's death wasn't your fault. You can go ahead and tell me you're not thinking that, but I already know you are. It's written all over your face. _Stop_. Stop blaming yourself right now because you're not doing him any favours, and you're not doing yourself any favours. You know whose fault my grandson's death is? The bitch that murdered him."

 **The Living Area of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Rebekah entered into the living area of the Mikaelson compound, Elijah, Kol and Freya startled at the mere sight of Klaus. "How—who—Cami?" Elijah asked, looking over to Rebekah, Rebekah confirming it with a nod. "Well, this is... unexpected."

"Is that all you have to say Elijah?" Klaus replied, glaring at his older brother. "If you all don't mind, I'd like a moment along with the self proclaimed _head_ of our family. Unless you want to attempt to dagger me again, or even worse put me down for good with the white oak stake that _I_ know Elijah has on him right now."

"Nik-" Kol started, sounding a little apologetic, only for Klaus to cut him off.

"I'll deal with you later Kol."

Rebekah, Freya and Kol left the room, giving Klaus and Elijah the room to themselves. Kol was the last one to leave, closing the door behind him. Klaus had his hands behind his back, still maintaining the glare he was throwing at Elijah, waiting for Elijah to start explaining himself.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"What are you expecting me to say Niklaus? Sorry?"

Klaus smirked. "It'd be a good place to start."

"I won't, because I'm not," Elijah said, Klaus staring at him, appalled. "Niklaus, I was only doing what I believed was best for Hope given the knowledge I had. I only helped dagger you because you were plotting to turn our sister Freya, one of our most powerful allies, into a newborn vampire-"

"So we could weaken Dahlia-"

"Then what, would we have tried to kill her while trying to protect your daughter and a now vulnerable Freya?"

"I don't care about Freya!"

"She is your _sister_! _Your_ blood!"

"She is _nothing_ to me Elijah! Frankly, I don't understand why she means anything to you. We've gone our whole lives believing that she died, and now we learn she hasn't. We didn't grow up with her. We didn't become vampires along side her. She is a perfect stranger to us!"

"A stranger who happens to be part of _our_ family."

Becoming more frustrated than he could handle, Klaus used his enhanced vampire speed to run over to Elijah and grab him by the throat with one hand, choking him. "I would expect something like this, a betrayal of this magnitude, from Kol, or- Rebekah! But not you, Elijah! Especially not in a time like this! When my daughter's _life_ , is in danger!"

"I did it for Hope!"

"Lies. You did it out of pettiness—you were presented with the opportunity to dagger me just as I have daggered you in the past, and it was too tempting to resist! Tell me, how long were you planning to leave the immortal bastard on ice?! Hmm? A decade or two? A _century_? AN ETERNITY?!"

Elijah forced Klaus' hand off his throat, Elijah putting his hand on Klaus throat and using his vampire speed to pin Klaus up to the closed door that led into the room. "As long as I had to, as long as Dahlia was still alive—I would have left you in that box," Elijah admitted.

"And what if... what if you hadn't killed Dahlia? What then?"

"I would have left you daggered until _we did_!"

Klaus stared at Elijah, looking furious with his older brother. "I can't believe I ever trusted you—even for a minute, Elijah."

"You never trusted me. You've never truly trusted anyone! Because you are too paranoid for that! ...You've only ever trusted yourself and even then, you've never trusted yourself for long periods of time."

Klaus grinned wickedly for a moment, to Elijah's confusion. "Really? I've never truly trusted anyone? I sure trusted Rebekah enough, a while back, with a secret that could have forever changed the dynamic of our brotherly relationship."

Elijah hesitated for a moment. "What are you talking about Niklaus?"

"Katerina Petrova," Klaus replied, Elijah's eyes widening at the mention of her name.

Elijah slowly took his hand off Klaus' neck. "What about her?" he asked in a worried tone, as if he knew what was coming next.

"She's _dead,_ " Klaus confirmed, Elijah taking a few steps back, stunned.

"No—no she can't be."

"She croaked sometime after she ingested that potion that renders a vampire mortal again. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but what I was told is that after she became mortal again, she began to rapidly age, the five centuries of death she cheated finally catching up to her—all at once. As soon as I heard what had happened, I left for Mystic Falls with Rebekah, just to make sure she was dead. I made Rebekah swear to me that we would never tell poor Elijah what became of his beloved Katerina, partly out of spite for her, but also because we wanted to spare your feelings. But right now... well I could care less about your feelings Elijah."

Impulsively, Elijah reached out and punched Klaus in the face, Klaus banging the back of his head off the door behind him. Klaus growled, pouncing on Elijah, and knocking him down to the ground. He then put his hands around Elijah's head while he had him in such a vulnerable position and swiftly snapped Elijah's neck.

 **Elsewhere in the Compound...**

Kol was now standing in a hallway of the compound, his arms folded, back against the wall. The ringtone of his cellphone suddenly went off, his phone vibrating in his pant pocket. Kol took his phone out, answering the call once he saw it was from Davina and moving it up to his ear to talk. "Hey, how are you?" Davina started, Kol smiling a little.

"I'm good, all things considered. Nik's shrink decided it would be a great idea to pull the dagger out of his heart and he is currently having it out with Elijah as we speak."

"Oh... well that's not good."

"It isn't. Don't know what we're going to do about that quite just yet. Though if we plan to leave Klaus undaggered, I'm going to recommend you stay as far away from him as you can, seeing as Nik likes to punish people by harming those closest to them."

Kol could tell Davina was hesitating on the other end. "Speaking of Klaus, I met up with Marcel earlier. He wants me to finish what I started, by severing Klaus' connection with him, Josh and Gia, so they won't be part of his bloodline anymore. That way if Dahlia does kill Klaus, they won't go down with him."

"Are you going to do it?"

"...Josh and Marcel mean the world to me, Kol. If they ask me for my help, I'll give it to them."

"Alright, that's fair. You need any help doing so, I'm just a text message away. Though I won't be able to help you in person seeing as I'm going to be staying with my siblings for the forseeable future. Just until Dahlia's dead. Or... until Dahlia kill us. One or the other."

"Kol, before you go—I, I have a question to ask you?"

"Ask away darling."

"Is there something you haven't told me—about you and Marcel, something that might make me understand better why you guys hate each other so much?"

Kol paused. "There is more to the story that you don't know Davina. But believe me when I say you don't want to know the full story."

 **Dahlia's Mind Space...**

Mikael awoke with a gasp, finding himself now laying on the floor of the hovel where Dahlia preformed dark magic spells for her viking captors, instead of lying in the casket that Freya and Elijah had placed him in after desiccating him. Slowly and cautiously, Mikael sat up, turning his head to see his long dead father open the door of the hovel, and bringing in a much younger Dahlia, her face covered in cuts and bruises. Mikael was completely baffled as to what was going on. It was as if he had travelled back in time, but nobody could see him.

"Do you recognize this place, _Mikael_?" the present day Dahlia asked.

Mikael turned to look behind him, finding the present day Dahlia standing there, a menancing look on her face. "What have you done to me, _witch_?"

Dahlia sneered. "You caused me so much pain, Viking, so much grief. You... your brothers... your _father_. Before today I thought you had suffered enough, what with me taking your first born child and all. But now I realize, you didn't suffer _nearly_ enough. You suffered but a _fraction_ of what I have suffered."

"You _suffered?_ Why does this surprise me, you always were one to exaggerate Dahlia."

Dahlia glared at him and twisted her hand, Mikael's head being forced back to watch as a younger Esther entered into the hovel, greeting the younger Dahlia. Mikael's jaw almost dropped at the sight of the young Esther. He was suddenly reminded of the early days of their relationship, back before all the lies, the betrayal, the illegitimate son. "No," he said to himself quietly.

"It's painful, revisiting the past, isn't it? This is back when you treated my sister with decency. Before you became a cold, uncaring husband and father."

"I only became that way because you took my _Freya_ -"

"Don't worry. That memory is next. You'll finally get to see what happened that day I came for your daughter, and how little your precious wife did to save her. Poor Finn was forced to watch as I carried his sister away to an uncertain fate."

Mikael had a look of horror on his face as he was forced to watch Esther gush about him to a young Dahlia, knowing what was to come next.

 **Author's Note:** _First things first, The idea to have Klaus and Rebekah keep the knowledge of Katherine's death a secret from Elijah came from Dante 101. I hope for those of you who wanted Klaus to punish Elijah in this chapter for his betrayal were not disappointed, or if you were, hopefully not too disappointed._ _Lastly, this chapter marks the end of 2x20 AU, so the next chapter will be the start of 2x21 AU - Point of No Return._


	35. Point of No Return, Part 1

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part One

 **The Living Area of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah and Freya were knelt down beside an unconscious Elijah, waiting for him to wake up and recover from Klaus snapping his neck. After a minute or two, Elijah awoke, his eyelids opening up, a confused look on his face. Rebekah let out a small sigh of relief.

"Katerina..." Elijah whispered, to Rebekah's horror. Why would he say that? He hadn't seen his Katerina since returning to New Orleans, and Rebekah knew for a fact that he couldn't have seen her recently because she was dead. Then something occurred to Rebekah. Her heart sank within her chest. Klaus was alone with Elijah, Klaus was more than a little angry with Elijah—he told him. He told him their secret.

"It's good to see you weren't out for too long," Rebekah said with a forced smile on her face, her and Freya helping Elijah to sit upright. Elijah put one hand on his jaw, clearly still aching a little from having his neck snapped.

Elijah turned to look at Rebekah, now looking more angry than confused. "Katerina—Rebekah, Niklaus just told me that she was dead shortly before he broke my neck. Would you happen to know anything about this? He told me you did. That you kept it a secret out of spite for her."

Freya looked over to Rebekah, worried. The last thing she wanted was more tension between her siblings, especially when they still had Dahlia to worry about, and they needed to work together as a team if they hope to kill her before she kills them.

Rebekah paused, conflicted. "I'm sorry, Elijah. She's _gone_."

"She didn't die quickly," Elijah said as if he was asking Rebekah for confirmation, Rebekah nodding slowly. "She died slowly, didn't she? A slow, agonizing death. And you and Niklaus kept it from me—because you knew I would've gone to great lengths to save her life. And you couldn't have that. You wanted her _dead_."

"There is nothing you could've done-"

"There are _always_ things that can be done, Rebekah!" Elijah shouted, closing his eyes for a moment, feeling a familiar tingling sensation in his veins. Elijah clutched his temples with his hands in pain as he saw himself chasing Tatia towards the red door once more, this time, Tatia actually grabbing the doorknob of the red door and starting to fully open it.

"Elijah!" Freya said as she grabbed a hold of her little brother, concerned. Elijah opened his eyes again, attempting to regain some control of himself and contain his anger. Elijah got to his feet, Rebekah and Freya standing up with him, watching him cautiously.

Despite his attempt to control himself, Elijah's vampire features were beginning to come out, his fangs protruding outwards, the veins in his face darkening and becoming more visible, and his eyes turning an onyx black. Suddenly, he reached for Rebekah's neck with both hands, grabbing her by the throat and practically strangling her, Rebekah gasping while he did, Freya stunned. "Elijah, put Rebekah down, now," Freya ordered.

"No! I am furious with you Rebekah, but I will wait until after we dispose of our aunt to ask for more details about the death of my Katerina, which you saw fit to hide from _me_ ," Elijah warned, taking his hands off of Rebekah's throat.

 **The Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Kol was standing a few feet away from Klaus, an anxious look on his face. "Nik, just let me start by saying, I didn't want to dagger you. Not when I actually did at least. I mean, before Finn hexed me, before I knew you were a father, I did. But this time-"

"Kol," Klaus interrupted, Kol stopping and bracing himself for what Klaus had to say. "Being daggered was... something that can only be described as an agonizing experience. Very unpleasant. Of course you would know that, seeing as I daggered you more than a few times. Kol, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't enjoy doing the daggering yourself for a change-"

"I didn't!" Kol replied immediately, Klaus looking at him sceptically. Kol rolled his eyes. "Fine. Maybe I enjoyed it a little. You understand Nik, you took _decades_ of my life away from me by daggering me, and each time you shoved a dagger into my heart—I never knew when or if that dagger was going to come out. You left Finn daggered for nine centuries-"

"Finn! ... Was a monster Kol. I haven't seen him as my brother in quite some time, not that way I have you-"

"No offence Nik but you're not particularly good at making your love for others known, though I think we've already had that conversation."

"We have. And I know what you mean by the fear that sets in the moment the dagger pierces your heart, the uncertainty of when or if someone is going to pull that dagger out. But... Kol I finally started to trust you, after everything, and—and now this happens," Klaus said, Kol looking a little saddened by what Klaus was saying but was trying to do his best to hide it. "And I don't know what you expect from me right now. To forgive you? To say I understand your motives? Was it done purely out of petty spite for all the times I daggered you, or was it done out of some growing affection you have for Freya? Do not say it was about Hope!"

"Freya's magic not only helped break my hex, it also helped us save Rebekah's soul from Eva Sinclair, not to mention restore my original body, the body I'm in now, after it was reduced to nothing more than a pile of ash. Do you think I wanted to lose that? She's accomplished things with magic that some witches could never dream of. And if you turned her into a vampire, all her magic—would be gone. Nik if it weren't for her magic I might be dead right now. Or at the very least still stuck in Kaleb's body, with no way of ever escaping it."

Klaus smirked. "There it is. This wasn't about Freya's needs or you worried about what would become of your sister. You were worried about yourself and your needs-"

"I look out for myself Nik, because if I don't, no one else will."

"Seems to me that Davina would. After all, she did spell you that necklace that saved you from certain death that night in the cemetery. That one that absorbed all the harm Finn's hex was doing to you in Kaleb's body."

"I know what you're referring to," Kol stated, reminded of just what Davina had done for him in the past. "But you don't realize that Davina only feels the way she does because she doesn't know about what I did for kicks back when I was a vampire the first time around."

"Right. Murder, mayhem—no, it seems to me Davina already knows about that."

"She doesn't know specifics."

Klaus took a moment to think. "You wouldn't be referring to what you did to poor Marcel, _the man she sees as a father of sorts_ , when he was only a boy, are you?"

Kol gritted his teeth. It figured that the girl who stole his heart just happened to have a close connection with someone he truly loathed. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not."

"You think she wouldn't be able to forgive you for this? That she would think less of you for it, something that happened over a century ago?"

Kol avoided looking Klaus directly in the eyes. "I don't know."

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

To say the inside of Vincent Griffith's apartment looked messy was a bit of an understatement. He had loose pages that appeared to have been torn out of paper laying everywhere, a few books lying open, a spilled wine glass on the floor, and also on the floor was a couple of dead rats who had been mutilated. Vincent himself was currently sitting on a couch next to a wall, a coffee table out in front of him. On the top surface of the coffee table was a silver chalice, and laying next to the chalice, was a bloodied athame. Vincent took a deep breathe in before he waved one hand over the chalice and began to recite an incantation.

Once he stopped chanting, Vincent cautiously picked up the chalice with both hands and placed it to his lips. He anxiously drank the contents of the chalice. Once he had as much as he could take, he put the chalice down and fell back against the couch, a sudden look of tiredness on his face. Vincent blinked rapidly, stopping when he felt someone touch his right hand. He looked over to his side and saw his destroyed wife, Eva Sinclair, sitting on the couch next to him, a smile on her face. "Hello Vince."

" _Eva_..." Vincent replied with a half smile on his face.

"God it feels like it's been ages since I've seen you," Eva said as she placed one hand on Vincent's face, caressing it. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too... I can't believe—I can't believe _it_ worked."

Eva giggled. "Really? You should give yourself more credit than that Vince. You're one of the more clever witches in the French Quarter. You've never failed at anything you set your mind to."

"I'm just wondering how long this'll last."

"Probably not very. So you better make the most of it."

Vincent leaned in and kissed Eva, closing his eyes while he did, tears starting to stream down his cheeks while he did. He knew what he was seeing, what he was experiencing, wasn't real. It was only a hallucination that he created and was controlling, hence the idealized version of Eva, a version that didn't turn out to be a psychotic killer, and was just his loving wife.

Vincent was interrupted when he heard someone knocking on his door. "Mr. Griffith? Are you home?" a voice asked. Vincent broke his kiss with Eva and let out a heavy sigh.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah, Rebekah, Freya and Marcel joined Klaus and Kol in the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, Elijah holding a goblet in one hand that he was casually drinking from, the liquid inside a potion brewed to help Elijah better control his enhanced bloodlust, made from the ingredients that Marcel had just brought. "So, where are you all headed off to next, if you're not planning to fight Dahlia here?" Marcel asked.

"The jazz club in Algiers," Freya replied, to Klaus' curiosity. "We don't need to be avoiding her any longer. The sooner we take her down, the better."

Klaus kept his mouth shut, even though a part of him considered telling them all right then and there that the weapon they were planning to use to kill Dahlia was bound with the wrong blood. He hadn't told anyone, it was something that he kept to himself so far. But he had to make his choice as to whether he was going to help his siblings end Dahlia's life or not, and soon because he was running out of time. Dahlia was a sadistic, cold, sociopathic person, but she was also the only family he had right now excluding Hope that hadn't betrayed his trust after trying to earn it. She was also the only one who intimately understood the troubles Hope would go through later in her life because of her witch powers. But she also wanted to kill Hayley, Hope's mother, and Klaus wasn't going to agree to that. Unless there was some way he could convince Dahlia to spare Hayley's life.

"And Hayley is to stay here in the compound with Hope I take it?" Klaus asked, looking over to Rebekah, Rebekah looking back at him with barely contained anger in her eyes, still upset with him that he told Elijah about Katherine.

"She plans to attend the Kenner boy's funeral tomorrow," Kol jumped in. "But fortunately it looks like we'll have Cami to keep an eye on her while mummy's away."

Klaus looked at each and every one of his siblings as he spoke. "You'd all let Hayley leave the compound when there is a _very_ _powerful_ enemy out there who would very much like tokill _her_?!"

"How do you know that Dahlia wants Hayley dead per se?" Elijah asked.

"Because she told me yesterday when we spent the day together. Hope is the only child Hayley will ever have, and Dahlia knows that. She is convinced that Hayley would never hand over Hope willingly. She believes the only way she will get to keep Hope is by eliminating Hayley for good."

"So you would forbid her to attend the funeral of her husband?"

"I would to keep her _alive_ , Elijah! That nursery is the safest place from Dahlia right now, according to you lot, so she is not to leave under _any_ circumstances."

"And How do you plan to ensure this? Hayley's not exactly one to be told what to do," Rebekah pointed out. "There is no way you'll stop her from attending that funeral."

"I will compel her if need be. She may resent for me for it later but it is for her own good," Klaus insisted. "And it seems I'm the only one here who understands that."

"You will not take Hayley's free will away from her-"

Klaus cut Elijah off, refusing to let him finish. "Free will is what will get her killed!"

"I have to side with Klaus on this one," Marcel said, putting his two cents in, Kol sneering at him while he did. "Dahlia's already proved she has no problem killing those who are closest to you. She's already killed Jackson, do you think she'll hesitate to kill Hayley?"

"Thank you, Marcellus."

"Hayley drinks vervain," Elijah argued. "You'd have to wait for the vervain to drain out of her system, time that we do not have brother."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "There are ways to speed the process along, if I recall."

Elijah was overcome with rage at the implication that Klaus would bleed Hayley out for the sake of taking away her free will. He allowed his vampire side to overwhelm him, carelessly tossing his goblet on to the ground and using his enhanced vampire speed to tackle Klaus, pining him to the ground, putting his hands around Klaus' throat, attempting to strangle his younger brother, to everyone's surprise, except Rebekah. "No!" Elijah shouted at Klaus. "I allowed you to harm one of my loved ones before, and I will _not_ allow it again!"

Everyone stood aside as Klaus forced Elijah's hands off of his throat, throwing Elijah off of him, and getting to his feet. Before Elijah had the chance to attack him again, Klaus took the white oak stake out of his coat pocket, stunning Elijah. "I took back the weapon that was rightfully mine brother, after I snapped your neck."

"Stop it, _the both of you_!" Rebekah screamed, grabbing Klaus and Elijah's attention. Klaus and Elijah stared at one another intensely for a moment before Klaus put the white oak stake back in his coat pocket, a slightly annoyed look on his face as he did.

"How did I end up being the most sane member of this family," Klaus said to himself quietly.

 **Author's Note:** _So this was one of the chapters I enjoyed writing more, so was last chapter to be fair. I would've posted this last night but I've been having issues with the website (which I believe the entire website was having issues, it wouldn't let me login, kept redirecting to me to an error page). Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it and feel free to let me know what you thought of it with a review, even if you want to say "I didn't enjoy it and you've written better". I guess that's all._


	36. Point of No Return, Part 2

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part 2

 **The Nursery of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah placed a couple of buckets on the ground by Hayley, Klaus standing a couple of feet away from her with Cami at his side, Hope fast asleep in her crib. In one hand, Klaus had a knife which Hayley was staring at with a slightly concerned look on her face. "The idea, little wolf, is to drain the vervain out of your system by bleeding it out of you. I'm afraid it will be one of the more unpleasant experiences of your life but you are a trooper," Klaus said, handing Hayley the knife, Hayley reluctantly taking it.

"And I suppose my word isn't good enough?" Hayley asked.

"I'm afraid not. You see my trust issues have only gotten worse as it turns out, since my own brothers drove a dagger through my heart without a hint of remorse," Klaus replied, Rebekah rolling her eyes. "Besides, I know you cared for Jackson—I may not understand why, but then what makes anyone care for another? I know you won't be able to resist going to his funeral, which is why I have to rob you of your free will, to ensure that you don't."

"Cami," Hayley said, looking over at the blonde woman, silently pleading with her.

Cami understood Hayley's apprehension to being compelled, knowing what it was like to have Klaus take away your free will. That being said she also understood where Klaus was coming from, and she understood his need to want to protect Hayley so his child wouldn't lose her mother. Nevertheless, Cami turned to look at Klaus, Klaus looking back at her. "Can you really not trust the mother of your own child? I mean it's not like Hayley had anything to do with your siblings daggering you-"

"It's true. I didn't agree with it," Hayley interrupted, to Klaus and Rebekah's surprise. "If it were up to me I wouldn't have."

"Klaus wasn't even daggered for a full day! You use to have me daggered for decades at a time Nik-" Rebekah started.

"I do recall, though if it weren't for Cami, it might very well have been decades, maybe even a century or two for all I know." Klaus turned back to look at Hayley. "While I do appreciate that Hayley—I'm not leaving your safety up to chance. I hope you can understand that at least."

"Well I would like the chance to say goodbye to someone I loved-"

"Have you not already said goodbye? When you had a moment alone with his body after it was brought to the jazz club in Algiers? Jackson is _dead_ , Hayley. And unless you want to join him, you'll agree that this is the best way to keep yourself safe."

Hayley had a defeated look on her face, resigning herself to what was about to come next. "Can we at least, do this in a room where my daughter isn't sleeping?"

"Of course."

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Vincent was now standing in front of the closed door that led into his apartment, the hallucinated Eva at his side. "Who wants to know?" Vincent asked, an anxious look on his face. He was expecting it to be one of the many enemies that Finn Mikaelson had made while he was inside his body.

"Name's Gia. I'm a friend of Marcel Gerard's."

Vincent sighed, becoming more angry than anxious. "And what does Marcel want me?"

"Open this door, invite me and I'll tell you."

Vincent laughed bitterly. "Vampires. The French Quarter was always crawling with them. I'm starting to think this Finn fellow had the right idea by wanting to take them all out," Eva said, Vincent smiling a little at her before turning his attention back to the door.

"I don't invite vampires into my home, and since you asked to be invited in and your friends with a vampire—well I can put two and two together."

"I understand most witches in this city aren't the biggest fans of us vampires, but I was only asking to be invited in to be polite. Worse comes to worse, we happen to know the witches here that don't mind us that could help me get past the whole invitation rule."

Reluctantly, Vincent opened the door of his apartment, seeing the vampire Gia standing on the other side. "If I invite you and you try to attack me—I will defend myself," Vincent warned.

Gia nodded and gave Vincent a look of respect. "I can guarantee you won't have to worry about it. I'm not a violent person."

Vincent gave Gia a sceptical look. "Can't say I've ever heard of a non violent vampire before."

"There's a first for everything, isn't there?"

Vincent stared at Gia hard for a moment. "Come in, Gia."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was sitting next to Hayley on a couch in the living area of the Mikaelson compound, Klaus holding a bloodied knife and Hayley holding her bleeding wrists over the buckets, watching as they collected every last drop of blood. "I think it's safe to say the vervain has just about been bled out of your system," Klaus said, looking at Hayley expectantly, Hayley still looking at the buckets.

"And here comes the part where you go inside my head and rob me of my free will," Hayley replied with a sigh.

"If _I_ could trust you-"

"You _can_ Klaus," Hayley interrupted, actually turning to look at him. "I seem to remember you told me you trusted me more than I knew not too long ago—that day you broke my neck and went after Jackson."

"That was before I was daggered-"

"Which I told you I didn't agree with."

"Would you _now_?" Klaus asked, to Hayley's confusion. "Would you have agreed with daggering me then with the knowledge you know now? Knowing that I'm going to prevent you from attending the funeral of your late husband?"

Hayley looked a little conflicted. "You're the father of my child, Klaus. And you're the biggest weapon we have in the fight against Dahlia. So no. No I wouldn't have, even with everything I know now."

Klaus stared at Hayley, not expecting the answer she gave. "I don't believe you."

Hayley sighed, rolling her eyes. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that."

Klaus then looked deep into Hayley's eyes, starting the compelling process. "You will stay in the nursery once you've returned to it Hayley Marshall, and you will not leave the room under any circumstances unless I tell you you can do so."

Hayley nodded, the compulsion appearing to be working, to Klaus' satisfaction. "Now before I return you to the nursery, there's one more thing—from now on, if I ask you to do something little wolf, you will agree to do it without question. You will trust me—blindly, even if I don't trust you. And you will forget we ever had this conversation."

He didn't want to take her free will away. He knew she would be furious with him once this was all over and he had everything figured out. And he was willing to let her hate him for the sake of keeping his family safe, her included. Without her free will, Hayley would no longer be a threat in Dahlia's eyes, there would be no need for Dahlia to kill her. He only hoped he could convince Dahlia of that, and Dahlia would be reasonable enough to accept it. Maybe he could even convince Dahlia to let Hayley tag along with them and still be a mother to Hope. Maybe.

 **The Claire Tomb/ "Kol's Playhouse"...**

Davina had placed Kandahar root on the top surface of a table, Josh watching her while she did, an open grimoire nearby. "So is there any kind of risk that comes with the spell? Anything I should be concerned about?" Josh asked.

"Well there is the possibility that once Klaus figures out that you're unlinked from his bloodline that he'll try and kill you, but Kol and I would put him down before something like that happens," Davina replied with a smile on her face, looking at Josh.

"I meant any risks for you personally. A spell like this sounds like it'd take a lot of you."

"Maybe for an ordinary witch, but I'm not an ordinary witch. I'm a Harvest girl. You don't need to worry about me Josh. I tried to do this once before and I have no doubt I would've succeeded, but then Finn had to go and force Kol to sabotage me."

"About Finn-" Josh said, Davina giving him a worried look. "Marcel ran into that Vincent guy the other day, the guy Finn was possessing, and said he was acting kinda sketchy. He's worried that Finn's still possessing Vincent and just biding his time for some reason."

"Impossible. Kol told me that Freya expelled Finn's spirit from Vincent's body and sealed him away inside some kind of a talisman."

"Have you ever heard of a witch being able to do something like that before?"

"Well, no, but I don't exactly know everything there is to know when it comes to magic and witchcraft."

"Let me ask you this, does Kol trust Freya?"

Davina took a minute to think. "I'm not sure. I mean she helped him break his hex, save Rebekah and restore his original body, so I mean, I don't think he has any reason not to trust her right now. I'm sure Finn is actually in some talisman somewhere and Marcel is just worried for nothing."

"If you say so. He sent Gia to spy on him just to make sure. Told her to keep a safe distance from him."

"On to a new topic. You and Aiden, what's going on there?"

Josh sighed. "He's still understandably torn up about what happened to Jackson and he's taking his place as alpha to the Crescent werewolf pack until Dahlia's dead. And then we're going to leave this city behind like we planned. Or at least that's what he says."

"You think he's lying to you?"

"I think if he is he doesn't realize it—Aiden wanted to be alpha to that pack before Jackson died, it's what Klaus promised him in exchange for Aiden being his double agent. And now he actually is the alpha, granted he didn't become alpha the way he wanted to, and-"

"You're worried that he's going to get attached to his position and not want to leave with you when this is all over?"

Josh nodded. "Shouldn't I be? And if he becomes more involved with the pack than he already is, the Crescents hate vampires-"

"Josh, I love you but you're having this conversation with the wrong person. You should be having it with Aiden."

Josh hesitated for a moment before agreeing with Davina. "It's just, hard to talk to him right now, I don't have a lot of experience being around people who are mourning, I just... want him to be comfortable right now, as comfortable as he can be, I'm not sure if comfortable's the word I was looking for."

"I know. I get it. But for what it's worth, I think you're doing a good job by just being there for him, whether you're just being someone for him to talk to or a shoulder to cry on."

 **The Nursery of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Hayley and Cami were standing by Hope's crib, Hayley looking weak from the bloodloss but trying to stay upright and conscious. "So I can honestly say that today hasn't been one of my better days, what with being forced to bleed myself out and the father of my child refusing to let me go to my husband's funeral and all. Now he's off to Algiers with Elijah, Rebekah, Freya and Kol."

Cami looked at Hayley sympathetically. "All I can say is, he does mean well," Cami offered, Hayley laughing a little.

"They should write that on his tombstone. _He meant well._ Providing he ever dies of course."

"Let's hope not. So... how much blood are you going to need to drink before you're back to your old self?"

Hayley sighed. "I don't know. Maybe a couple IV bags worth. Must be strange being friends with vampires, witches, werewolves, and hybrids—without being anything supernatural yourself."

Cami smiled, "more exciting than strange in my experience."

"You ever worry about becoming one of us one day? One of the supernatural?"

"No, not really," Cami admitted. "I mean I could become a vampire if I wanted to, but being human has worked out just fine for me so far, and frankly I don't think immortality is for me."

"Klaus might ask you this same question some day soon you know."

Cami looked at Hayley curiously for a moment. "Why would he?"

Hayley waited for Cami to catch on to what she was implying but Cami continued to look oblivious. "Klaus has a thing for you. I know it, Elijah knows it, Rebekah—and once he finally works up the courage to tell you, which he will sooner or later, he's going to offer you his blood. Or at least I think he will, I can't imagine him wanting to be with someone who would age and die while he continues to look... like an eternal twenty five year old."

Cami didn't seem to accept what Hayley just told her as fact, laughing a little, waiting for Hayley to start laughing with her, but she didn't. "You think Klaus has feelings for me?"

"The way he looks at you—is not all that different than the way he use to look at this girl we knew back in a town called Mystic Falls. And it's not just the look that I'm basing this idea off of... He helped you back when Father Kieran was hexed, he trusts you—which is huge for him, you saved his life when Mikael stabbed him with the white oak stake, you undaggered him. So yeah, I think he has feelings for you."

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Rebekah and Freya were standing around the middle of the St. James Infirmary club, each of them looking a little tense, Elijah more so than anyone else. "How long do you think it'll be before Dahlia gets here?" Rebekah asked, looking over at Freya, then at Klaus.

"Hard to say. She'll come for us whenever she feels like, though I imagine it'll be sooner rather than later," Freya replied. "Since we've already passed her deadline."

"So what's the plan then, we just ambush her and stab her in the heart with the enchanted knife?" Kol asked.

Freya nodded. "More or less."

"Great. Now we just need to decide who will have the honour of putting our wicked aunt down for good."

"Me," Klaus stated firmly, looking around at all of his siblings, as if he was expecting one of them to challenge him for it. "It's my daughter she wants to take, that and I'm the hybrid which makes me slightly superior to the rest of you, making me the logical choice. Any objections?"

"No offense Niklaus but you were recently daggered, I imagine you're still recovering, making you weaker than what you ordinarly are," Elijah countered, Klaus glaring at him.

"And whose fault is that?"

Before anyone else could say anything, Klaus suddenly collapsed on to the floor of the St. James Infirmary, unconscious, Rebekah, Kol and Freya immediately tending to him while Elijah watched, looking concerned but not moving from where he was, standing in place.

 **An Unknown Tomb in Lafayette Cemetery...**

Klaus suddenly found himself laying on the floor of a tomb in Lafayette Cemetery, his head next to a table leg. Slowly, Klaus got to his feet, spotting Dahlia standing on the other side of the tomb, her arms folded. Klaus dusted himself off a little before he looked at Dahlia and opened his mouth to speak. "So, I guess you brought me here because you want to know where I stand now in light of recent circumstances?"

Dahlia grinned widely.

 _ **Author's Note:** I hope everyone is liking that I've incorporated more moments between the Mikaelson siblings, or at least that's what I'm trying to do. The Klaus/Kol scene last chapter was one I really enjoyed writing and there's a Klaus/Rebekah scene I plan to write in a later chapter that I hope everyone will like. The idea to include Hayley more in the Klaus/Dahlia storyline was an idea given to me by __Stand with Ward and Salvatore, which gives Hayley something to do in this story since I killed off Jackson and Hayley's role in the last couple of episodes of the season revolved around her being with Jackson. Anyhow, feel free to give me your opinion on this chapter with a review, if you feel there's something I could be doing better or something I could work on don't hesitate to tell me, or if you just want to say I like what you're doing so far, etc._


	37. Point of No Return, Part 3

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part 3

 **Dahlia's Tomb** / **St. James Infirmary...**

"So what will it be Niklaus, will you side with your treacherous siblings and fight a battle with them you know you cannot win, or... will you side with me, join me and continue to be Hope's father while I act as her teacher?" Dahlia asked, looking at Klaus expectantly.

"I notice you left out the part where I would have to kill Hayley."

Dahlia frowned. "I didn't think I would have to remind you of that part of our bargain. Her death, her loss... is a necessary _sacrifice_. Surely you realize that. If she is to live, she will never stop coming after us, fighting to get her only true daughter back-"

"I have her compelled," Klaus interrupted, Dahlia intrigued by this new information. "She is to do whatever I say, and she is to trust me blindly. Meaning if we leave with Hope, she will not pursue us, there will be no need to kill her-"

"Compulsion is an unreliable practise. If you were to be daggered, or by some twist of fate you were to die—that compulsion would be broken. And even if neither of those things happened, there have been cases of people overcoming compulsion on there own."

"We take her with us then, keep a watchful eye over her-"

Dahlia continued to frown. "You're concern for the mother of your child is touching, and... unexpected. There is no changing the conditions of our deal Niklaus. If you want to join me, if you want to continue to be a father to Hope, then you will _kill_ Hayley. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't understand! The only reason you want me by your side in the first place is because of Freya, because you separated her from her parents and she resented you for it, and you don't want the same to happen to Hope. Would it not be best then to have both of her parents raising her instead of just her father?!"

Dahlia sighed, extending one arm out and making a fist. Twin trails of blood began to race down from Klaus' nostrils, his head starting to ache. Klaus attempted to shrug off what Dahlia was doing to him, but struggled. "Were you listening to me Niklaus?! There is no changing the _conditions_ of our _deal_! Now what will it be, who will you side with?!"

"I will not kill the mother of my own child!"

"Then I will, and I will kill you too, and anyone who should stand in my way of taking what it is rightfully mine, **what was promised to me**!"

"You need me!" Klaus protested.

" **I** _ **NEED**_ **NO ONE!** "

Dahlia unclenched her fist, opening her hand, Klaus starting to violently cough up blood. He fell to the tomb floor, on his hands and knees, coughing, his nose bleeding, and his head aching. "Ask yourself Niklaus, are you truly willing to die for someone who wouldn't do the same for you? Do you think if I made the same offer to Hayley, were she in your position, that she would hesitate to kill you?!"

Klaus forced himself to look up at Dahlia, opening his mouth to speak, his once white teeth now more of a pinkish colour, stained with his own blood. "Maybe she would... but that hardly... matters to me."

Looking a tad surprised, Dahlia relented, ceasing in her mystical torture of Klaus, Klaus clutching his throat and gasping for air. "And why not? How does it not matter to you, how does it not—infuriate you, how?"

"I want what's best for my daughter," Klaus replied. "One could say my love for her has fundamentally changed who I am as a person," he finished, getting to his feet, his body already repairing itself.

"You're so—different from Esther, or Mikael, far more different than what I imagined you to be. I'm impressed... and a little annoyed. Nevertheless," Dahlia paused, a conflicted look on her face, a look that confused Klaus. "...I've had a change of heart. Hayley may join us. It would be better for Hope in the long run and any relationship I hope to have with your daughter if I didn't orchestrate the murder of her mother. It would only be a matter of time before Hope uncovered such a dark truth and she would resent me for it just as Freya resents me now. No. Are you certain Hayley's compulsion won't break easily?"

"It won't. I swear on her life it won't."

Dahlia didn't look any less conflicted. "Very well. I know where your daughter is. She's where I pulled you from, the jazz club in Algiers. I will meet you there shortly. Can I expect to see Hayley there as well?"

"You can," Klaus lied.

"Alright then. It's time I send you back."

Dahlia flicked her wrist and Klaus' eyes were briefly forced shut. When he opened them again, he was laying on the floor of the club in Algiers, Rebekah, Freya and Kol kneeling around him, Kol and Rebekah looking relieved that he was awake, Freya on the other hand, looking worried. They all backed up and gave Klaus some space, all of them eventually standing up and Klaus following, his lips and chin still covered in his own blood.

"Are you alright?" Rebekah asked.

"Fine. There's something I have to tell all of you—now, and I need all of you to listen to me. The blade we plan to use to kill Dahlia, it's blessed with the wrong blood," Klaus stated. "Freya is not the witch Dahlia loved most, it's our mother, Esther is the one whose blood we need, I'm certain of it. If we use that weapon on her now, it will have no effect and she _will_ destroy it."

"Then what we do?"

"Dahlia is on her way here. Someone needs to take the weapon back to the compound, so Dahlia won't find it. Bekah," Klaus said as he took out the knife they planned to use on Dahlia out of one coat pocket and handed it to Rebekah. "Go. The rest of us will hold Dahlia off."

" _Hold her off_ , when she realizes that she's been lied to and the baby isn't here, she'll kill us!" Freya insisted.

"A valid point, but it'll be harder to kill us without the white oak stake present," Klaus replied, taking out the white oak stake and handing it to Rebekah as well, to Rebekah's surprise.

"Esther isn't even alive to use her blood—she's... she's dead. _I_ killed her. In the Lyonne Tomb. And resurrection isn't possible without the Other Side, which was destroyed last I heard, was it not?"

"It is. However, you killed but one incarnation of our mother," Elijah added, Freya throwing him a confused look. "Our mother is buried here in New Orleans, she would've returned to the Ancestors the moment you killed her in Lenore's. All we have to do is pull her spirit out of the Ancestral Plane and put it back in her original body."

"Do any of you know how to do it by any chance?" Freya asked, looking around at her siblings.

"I do," Kol admitted. "It's just not going to be the easiest of tasks."

"Of course it won't. It'll be even harder after Dahlia kills us for trying to fool her."

"She won't kill us," Klaus argued.

Freya looked over at Klaus. "How on earth would you know?"

"Call it a hunch."

"And you're expecting us to bet our lives on a _hunch_?"

Klaus grinned. "Do you have any other choice?"

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Gia took a step inside Vincent's apartment, looking around a little as she did, finding it to look not all that different from what she expected. Vincent gave her permission to sit on the couch and cautiously, Gia did so, Vincent joining her and sitting down beside her. Gia stared at the chalice on the table for a moment, remembering that Marcel had told her that Vincent had gone to a magic shop earlier and bought some ingredients for a spell. Those ingredients were probably inside the chalice, she thought.

"So, can we return to the question I asked you when you first showed up at my door?"

"What Marcel wants with you?" Gia asked, Vincent giving her a nod of confirmation. "Marcel said he ran into you just outside of a shop that sells witchy stuff. Which wouldn't be a big deal seeing as your a warlock and all-"

"I prefer to be called a witch," Vincent interrupted.

Gia gave Vincent a funny look. "Okay I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to witches and magic but isn't warlock the correct name for a male witch?"

Vincent shook his head. "Common misconception, that even some witches believe. I'm not sure who started calling male witches warlocks but the word warlock, it means oath-breaker. It used to be used as an insult in witch circles a long time ago, but mostly only witches who betrayed their covens were ever called warlocks."

Gia seemed a little intrigued. "I didn't know that. I'll keep that in mind. Can I get back to what Marcel wants with you?"

"Right—of course. Sorry, being called a warlock is just a pet peeve of mine."

"Ordinarily seeing a witch outside of a magic shop, looking for ingredients to cast a spell would be nothing of interest to Marcel. But here's the thing. You're a recluse Vincent. Or at least you have been ever since Finn supposedly left your body-"

"That's it isn't it? Marcel thinks I'm still being possessed by the spirit of Finn Mikaelson and sent you here to just make sure I wasn't?"

"He does, and he did."

"Well, do you think I'm still being possessed by Finn?"

Gia shrugged. "Jury's still out on that one. Although, from what I know about Finn, he hated vampires with a passion, I don't think he would ever invite one into his apartment."

Vincent laughed a little. "To be fair I only invited you in because you threatened to get another witch here to bypass the invitation rule. Had you not, you'd probably still be standing outside that door right now."

"Fair enough."

"And I'll have you know the real Vincent Griffith isn't a huge fan of vampires either."

"Are you the real Vincent Griffith?" Gia asked in a slightly teasing manner.

"Whatever's left of him. Possession has a way of changing a person. I imagine you wouldn't know anything about that either."

"No, I can't say I've ever had another person inside me—spiritually, I mean," Gia caught herself awkwardly, Vincent chuckling.

"I was possessed for nine months Gia. Nine months of my life, just gone. And during those nine months some other guy was walking around in my skin, pretending to be me, living my life. To make matters worse that guy who possessed me, also happened to be a psychopath, he made a lot of enemies. So that's why I've been reclusive."

"Do you know everybody who made enemies with at least?" Gia asked, looking at Vincent with sympathy.

Vincent nodded. "Yeah. I cast a spell that allowed me to recover the memories of everything Finn did while he was in my body. The people he killed, tormented... I know what all of their faces look like. The man even tried to kill a baby once."

"I know. That he did some pretty terrible things."

"I'm not still possessed by Finn."

It was quiet for a moment before Gia asked, "so that spell you cast to regain the memories of everything that Finn did, was that-"

"The spell I was looking to cast using the ingredients I bought at that witch shop? No. The spell I just cast, using those ingredients, was a spell that would allow me to see whatever I wanted to see. A spell that would allow me to hallucinate my dead wife, Eva."

"Eva Sinclair? The serial killer?"

Vincent sighed. "She wasn't always one," he said as he looked over at the hallucinated Eva, who was standing a few feet away from the couch and the coffee table, her arms folded, a jealous look on her face as she stared at Gia. "But I know that's not what you're here to talk about."

"This spell, do you think—you think it would allow me to see my mom?"

Vincent gave Gia a sympathetic look. "It wouldn't _really_ be her. Only an image your mind conjures of her. It'll look her, talk like her, you might even be able to touch her," he went on, looking back over at the hallucinated Eva. "But it's not the real her."

"I know. I know all of it would be a lie... but sometimes a lie is just what we need."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Hayley was still in the nursery of the compound, this time pacing back and forth, talking on her cellphone to Aiden. "I really want to be there Aiden. But there's nothing I can do. Klaus bled the vervain out of my system and compelled me to stay here in the compound."

"I don't understand, wolves can't be compelled, even by originals-"

"They can't, but they can compel other vampires, and guess whose half vampire?"

Hayley could hear Aiden sigh on the other end. "That kinda makes sense now that you mention it. I'll explain the situation to the others, it isn't your fault and I don't think anyone will think less of you for it."

"I hope not... How are you holding up, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm okay, well okay as I can be all things considered. I kinda feel like I'm dreaming to be honest. Like any minute I'll wake up and Jackson will be there, alive, and I'll be saying goodbye to him before I ride off with Josh into the sunset."

A saddened look appeared on Hayley's face. "I get that."

"Well, I gotta go."

"Bye," Hayley replied, hanging up her phone, and slipping it in her pocket. She felt numb for a moment, before putting one hand over her mouth and clenching her teeth together, her eyes filling with tears that she was trying hard to hold back. She then felt her phone begin to vibrate rapidly in her pocket. With a sigh, Hayley took her cellphone out, seeing it was Klaus on the caller ID, and answered it. "What is it Klaus?"

"Are you okay Hayley?"

Hayley swallowed, fighting back more tears. "I'm fine. Why did you call?"

"Rebekah's on her way back to the compound, she's got the white oak stake and she has orders to pass it on to you. She also has the weapon we need to kill Dahlia. Long story short, it was dipped in the wrong blood. We need to resurrect Esther and bound her blood to the weapon if we hope for it to work against Dahlia. So Rebekah will be leaving again shortly after she arrives to go dig up our mother's remains with Marcel while we hold off Dahlia here at Algiers."

"Alright."

"And remember, **don't** try to leave the nursery under any circumstances. Especially now."

"Got it," Hayley replied, hearing Klaus up his phone on the other end. Hayley hung up her cellphone as well before turning around to look at Cami, who was giving her a concerned look.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Klaus, Kol, Elijah and Freya were still talking amongst themselves when suddenly, green vines began to creep up on the outside and inside walls of the building. Freya's heart began to race at the mere sight of the vines. "Dahlia. She's here. We're all out of time," Freya stated anxiously.

"Fortunately we didn't need any more time," Klaus replied with a smile on his face, to Freya's confusion, who was giving him a baffled look.

The vines quickly became so thick and numerous that, eventually, they completely covered the windows. Kol and Elijah began to brace themselves as the vines bloomed with red flowers, Elijah remembering that this is exactly what Hayley described as having happened when Dahlia found her and Hope here days earlier. Kol drew a large knife out of one of his coat pockets, clutching it tightly.

The room was then filled with the sound of Dahlia humming, in spite of the fact that Dahlia was nowhere in sight.

 **Author's Note:** _In case you were wondering, no that Klaus/Rebekah moment where he's handing her the stake and the weapon isn't the scene I was referring to in the A/N for last chapter. That scene will come either next chapter or the one after that. And if you're wondering where the Vincent/Gia storyline is going to go, without trying to spoil anything I will say this, it won't go where you expect it to. For my Hayley/Elijah fans, they will still get their hug in 2x22 AU, but Hayley won't be naked except for a robe. As always, I hope everyone liked this chapter and I encourage you to leave a review and let me know what you thought of it._


	38. Point of No Return, Part 4

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part Four

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Dahlia made her way to the entrance of the jazz club, eventually finding the doorway to the room where Klaus and his siblings were standing, stopping just outside the doorway. She looked at Klaus, Klaus smirking back at her. She scanned the room briefly with her eyes, failing to find Hope anywhere, to her frustration, or Hayley, like she had been promised. But Freya, Elijah and Kol were there. "Where is Hope?" Dahlia asked, staring at Klaus, the others turning to look at him as well, waiting to see how he would respond.

"Not here," Klaus replied, maintaining his smirk, Dahlia fuming. "Though lovely Freya was injected with a bit of her blood hours ago while I was still daggered from what I've been told."

"You— _lied_ , **TO** _ **ME?**_!"

"I did. I imagine you're feeling very... betrayed right now. But let me assure you, I had my reasons for lying."

"I was going to let Hayley live because of you-"

"Were you though? You seemed very determined to kill her, only relenting when I made a convincing argument, and even when you said you were going to spare her—well, you looked quite conflicted to me... You know how I have trust issues Dahlia."

"So you side with your siblings against me, who has never lied to you, while your siblings have deceived you _more_ times-"

"But they are the devils I know. And truth be told, you have lied to me Dahlia. While you came to visit me, while I was daggered, you failed to mention that you did something to Elijah, tampered with his bloodlust."

"No, I didn't mention it to you, because I assumed you cared nothing for Elijah, the brother who killed your _beloved_ Tatia, the brother who _held you down_ while you were daggered."

Klaus grimaced at the reminder of Tatia's demise, Elijah looking guilty. "That being said, I will happily restore poor Elijah here back to his previous state if you would tell me where Hayley and Hope actually are. But somehow I doubt you'll be willing to hand over your child and her mother to help out your treacherous older brother," Dahlia stated, throwing Elijah a look, Elijah glaring back at her.

"You're right. Hope means more to me than any of my siblings. I would sacrifice any of them to protect her," Klaus replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Which is why I don't understand why you wouldn't ally yourself with me, it is in _Hope_ 's best interest! Without me, there will be no one to teach Hope how to control her powers, and with no one to teach her... well, let's just say I wouldn't want to be around for _that_."

"Interesting you should mention that Dahlia—no one can teach Hope how to control her magic better than yourself, or so you claim. And while that might be true, there is someone else here, in this building, that has learned to control the power you speak of, the power that runs through the veins of a firstborn witch of our bloodline—Freya," Klaus said, turning to look at Freya, Freya giving him a genuine look of surprise. "I may not trust my long lost sister, but so far she has proved so far to be less of a _power hungry lunatic_ than yourself, no offence of course."

Dahlia stepped forward, entering into the room, looking as though she was barely containing her anger, Kol, Elijah and Freya taking a step or two back while Klaus stared her down fearlessly. "You claim that Freya is not as mad as myself, but I am not the one who put their own sister's soul in danger."

Freya's face went as a white as a sheet, Klaus, Kol and Elijah all briefly looking at her, stunned by the revelation, Dahlia smiling triumphantly. "She didn't tell you did she? The spell she cast to awaken Eva Sinclair's consciousness while poor Rebekah was still inside Eva's body, I can't imagine what that must have been like for her. As angry as I've been with Esther, I have never done something quite like that, but then Freya wasn't even angry with Rebekah, was she?"

Tears of anger formed in Freya's eyes as she stared hard at Dahlia. "Shut, up," Freya said under her breathe, to Dahlia's further amusement.

"While I'm not too terribly pleased with this revelation, I will admit I had my suspicions. My mother did as well. And as for crimes against siblings, I see taking away one's child worse than putting their life in danger," Klaus added. "I stand by what I said. I would still choose Freya over you to be a teacher for my daughter."

Dahlia's smile faded. " _You're mistake_."

With that, Dahlia thrusted her right hand outward, Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Freya all being sent flying through the air in different directions.

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

"Gia, I may not know you that well, but you don't want this, trust me," Vincent insisted, Gia giving him a look of disbelief. "You don't understand what consuming potions like this does to a person."

"Give you one hell of a hangover the next day?" Gia asked sarcastically.

Vincent paused. "Something along those lines. It-" Vincent was interrupted by twin trails of fresh blood running down from his nostrils, to Gia's concern. Suddenly, he found himself feeling very light headed. "Well it takes.. quite the toll on the user."

"Are you okay? Is—is that suppose to happen?"

"I..." Vincent closed his mouth when he started to hallucinate Eva in Gia's place. "This may have been.. what I was alluding to.."

The hallucinated Eva gave Vincent the same look of concern that Gia had. "Don't you see what happened Vince, you put too much effort into making this all happen, used ingredients you shouldn't have... it looks like you're going to die now, because of it."

"Doesn't sound so bad..." Vincent replied with a half grin on his face.

"Vincent," Gia said in an alarmed tone, as Vincent closed his eyes, seemingly passing out, his nose still bleeding. She grabbed Vincent with both arms and turned him around a little so his back was facing her, lowering his head on to her lap. She brought her right wrist up to her open mouth and forced her vampire features out, her canines turning into razor sharp fangs. She bit into the veins on her wrist to create an open wound, then placed her bleeding wrist against Vincent's mouth. But Vincent's mouth wasn't opening, and none of her vampire blood was getting in. Desperately, Gia tried to open Vincent's mouth a little with her free hand, allowing a few drops of her blood to slip in. If it wouldn't heal him, it would at least turn him into a vampire if he died right here and now from a drug overdose. Either way, she was saving his life as far as she saw it.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Dahlia turned the right hand she had thrusted outward into a fist, muttering a chant, Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Freya beginning to choke on their own blood, all at the same time, each looking powerless to do anything about it, to Dahlia's satisfaction. "Honestly, how did you all imagine this would go? Did you really think you could defeat me? If you did, I'm a little insulted. You know I've already destroyed the one weapon you could've hoped to use against me, not that it would've worked. You all foolishly believed that Freya was the witch I loved most. How presumptuous of you. Though I believe it was Freya who had that idea first and shared it with the rest of you."

Dahlia walked towards the violently choking Freya, frowning while she did. "All those years I thought I had you figured out, thought I knew you better than what I knew myself, and yet you've managed to surprise me. Betraying the family you meant to coax to your side? How very ruthless of you."

Freya put her hands on her own throat as she continued to choke. Dahlia leaned over and blew a kiss to Freya, Freya no longer choking. Slowly, Freya got to her feet, staring at Dahlia while she did, attempting to appear fearless in the eyes of her aunt. "I was willing to do what I had to, to kill you," Freya said roughly, sounding as though she throat had just been slit.

Dahlia gritted her teeth. "Of course you were, you ungrateful, wretched child! You could never get over the fact that I took you from your family, that I killed that pathetic man who you claimed to love-"

"Matthias was _not_ pathetic."

"He certainly wasn't worthy of everything you were. But I allowed you to love him, so that you would give me another child, another first born. It was only fair. But you, you could never appreciate anything I did for you. I offered to protect you for all time, and you left me. And soon, it will be you who is alone. Do you think your siblings will be willing to have you back, knowing what they know now? Do you think they will see you as anything other than a deceitful _shrew_?"

"...Maybe not. But what does it matter, you'll kill them all any ways."

"I would certainly like too. But wouldn't that be a tad... redundant, seeing as how they are already dead to begin with?"

Freya gave Dahlia a look of confusion. "Then what are you going to do?"

"Punish them in ways only I can... After I punish _you_."

Freya looked at Dahlia nervously. "What could you possibly hope to do with me that you haven't done already?"

Dahlia grinned. "I think I'll... put you to bed early," Dahlia replied, raising one hand up in the air and snapping her fingers, Freya falling back on to the ground, unconscious. "Sweet dreams, my darling Freya."

Dahlia looked over to Kol and spotted the knife he was clutching in his right hand. She held out her left hand, Kol trying to hold on to the knife in vain as it flew out of Kol's hand and into hers. Dahlia then walked over to the choking Klaus, blowing him a kiss as well, breaking the spell she had over him. "While I wish we could've worked together Niklaus, it appears that you were never going to agree to an alliance. A shame really. We would've made quite the pair."

Klaus got back on his feet and attempted to stand up straight, only for Dahlia to wave her right hand again, Klaus falling to his knees, suddenly rendered immobile. "Did I say you could stand, Niklaus? I don't believe I did. There is no need for it."

"Wait, before you do anything-"

"I don't believe I said you could _speak_ either. You have lied to me one too many times Niklaus, I want you to speak no longer," Dahlia interrupted, putting one finger on Klaus forehead, Klaus' mouth mystically forcing itself shut. Dahlia then removed her finger and collected some of the blood she forced Klaus to cough up with the knife she took from Kol. "All I need from you now is your blood. With it, I can cast a spell that will help me find Hope, and I think that wherever Hope is, Hayley is. Thankfully, Hope is still young enough that if she happens to witness me murdering her mother, she won't remember it."

Klaus was fuming, but unable to do anything about it, besides mumble angrily, to Dahlia's mild amusement. "You really should've known better than to cross me. Now you'll pay the price."

Just then, Elijah and Kol stopped coughing, their bodies instantly beginning to heal themselves from the damage that Dahlia had caused with her magic. Quickly, Elijah and Kol stood up, each exchanging a quickly glance with one another and nodding.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah was in the nursery of the Mikaelson compound, standing a few feet away from Hayley, who was carrying Hope in her arms, and Cami, Rebekah herself holding the white oak stake. Hayley passed Hope over to Cami, Cami taking the baby into her arms with a smile on her face while Rebekah handed Hayley the white oak stake. "I have no clue what Nik's plan is to take down Dahlia, all I know is that it involves resurrecting our mother in her original body and using her blood for the weapon that Kol and Davina blessed. I imagine Dahlia has already made her way to Algiers by now and is spilling their blood as we speak."

"I have every bit of faith that Klaus knows what's he doing," Hayley replied, earning a sceptical look from Cami, and a nod from Rebekah.

"Let's hope."

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Kol and Elijah, using their vampire speed, ran towards Dahlia, who was still busy taunting Klaus to notice. Within the blink of an eye, Elijah had his hands around the back of Dahlia's head, quickly snapping her neck, Dahlia collapsing on to the ground, unconscious. Klaus, now free of Dahlia's magic, got to his feet, his mouth opening freely again. He let out a small sigh of relief. But his relief was short lived, watching as Dahlia's body slowly faded into thin air. "What the bloody-" Kol started, only to be interrupted by Dahlia, who appeared several feet behind him and Elijah, her neck no longer snapped, still holding the knife stained with Klaus' blood in one hand.

Dahlia laughed while Klaus, Kol and Elijah stared at her in horror. "Try not to seem so surprised. You all should've known that I wouldn't go down so easily."

"...I was being optimistic for a change," Klaus replied.

"I am the most powerful being you have ever encountered. Kol and Elijah wouldn't have broke free of my influence unless I allowed it to happen."

"Why? Why would you allow it to happen?"

Dahlia smiled. "I was curious as to see what they would do. From everything I heard about Kol, I was certain that he would run for the sake of preserving his own life, given how terrified of dying he is. But his desire to cause me bodily harm outweighed his desire to save himself-"

"Believe it or not I would gladly risk my life to keep my niece safe from a monster like you," Kol interrupted, glaring at Dahlia.

"I misjudged you. And Elijah, I thought he would run to wherever Hope was, to protect her. I didn't think for a moment that he would try and help out his younger brother. You may all be dysfunctional, bickering lunatics... but you stick together. How touching. I only wished Esther showed me the same kind of loyalty that you all show one another."

"What did Esther ever do to you? You were the one who stole her first born child!" Elijah argued.

"Did Niklaus not tell you? The story of how you and your father met. That he and his family, and many other Vikings stole us from our village, after slaughtering everyone we knew and loved—to be their slaves, because they wanted to use our magic."

"Let's just say our mother seemed to be a victim of Stockholm Syndrome," Klaus said, looking over to Elijah, who seemed a little surprised at the revelation.

"She went and fell in love with one of our captors, she chose him over me! Your father, your _nasty, brutish_ father!"

"Choosing between the love we have for our family, and the romantic love we have for another—it's always a difficult decision," Elijah offered, remembering when he chose to follow Klaus to New Orleans in hope of redeeming him, instead of starting a new life with Katherine, after she begged him to choose her.

"Hardly. _Family... is forever._ "

Klaus, Elijah and Kol all exchanged brief glances with one another before all briefly looking over at Freya. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Dahlia put her hands together and muttered a couple of words in a foreign language. Elijah and Kol's necks snapped simultaneously, both of them collapsing on to the floor around the same time, leaving Klaus the only one left standing. "Now what was it, you were going to say Niklaus, before I forced your mouth shut?" Dahlia asked.

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Vincent began to cough up the few drops of Gia's blood that were in his mouth, Gia starting to panic a little. Against her better judgement, she tried to force more of her blood into Vincent's mouth. "Come on, don't die on me Vincent, don't you die on me," she said quietly. She didn't want to see someone died of a drug overdose in front of her, even if it was mystical drugs and she hardly knew the guy.

 **Author's Note:** _So the latest chapter is finally here, my apologies for the long wait, I started my second year of University on the 8th and I have been quite busy because of that so hence the delay. I hope this chapter turned out decent in the eyes of you, my readers. It's going to be a little harder to squeeze in time to write this story, but I'm still determined to finish it (you needn't worry about that), and hopefully the waiting time between chapters won't get too bad. I really appreciate those of you who are still reading, and hopefully this story will be finished before Season 3 of TO starts to air, but I don't want to rush it because I know if I will the quality of writing will go down. Thank you all for your patience._


	39. Point of No Return, Part 5

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part Five

 **St. James Infirmary...**

"What does it matter, you indicated that you wouldn't trust a word that comes out of my mouth," Klaus pointed out, eyeing Dahlia cautiously.

"Indeed I did indicate that. But you can hardly blame me, seeing as how you've done nothing but lie to me so far," Dahlia replied.

"Then why do you care what I have to say now?"

Dahlia sighed, clearly impatient. "Just tell me what you were going to say before I forced your mouth shut. I'm curious as to see what you were going to say since it seemed so... _urgent_. Then I will decide whether you're lying or not, and I'll decide what I'm going to do with you before I go to end poor Hayley's life and take what's been promised to me."

"You won't be able to kill Hayley or take Hope," Klaus stated, intriguing Dahlia. "Not where they are now. You'll only be able to see them and speak with them, but you won't be able to lay a finger on them."

"Why wouldn't I be able to?"

"Because, where they are right now, if any witch goes there they will be rendered completely and utterly powerless."

Dahlia looked as though she suddenly realized what Klaus was getting at. "Where they are now... you had a witch cast the same spell on wherever they are now that the late Josephine LaRue cast on this room. Clever. Not clever enough. Do you not realize Niklaus that I will simply kill the witch that cast this spell?"

Klaus smirked. "No, you won't. Because that witch... is your darling Freya."

Dahlia frowned. "And why do you think I wouldn't kill Freya?"

"Because, as much as you claim to not care a shred about family, that family has done nothing but cause you pain... you value family. Whether you admit it or not. And Freya is still your family, even if she's betrayed you, and sided with your enemies. Just like Esther is still your family," Klaus stated, Dahlia's frown becoming more prominent. "But if you think you can kill Freya by all means. But then not only will you have killed your own blood... you'll also lose a considerable amount of power. You'll no longer be able to channel her because she'll be dead. And even if you truly don't have any regard for family any longer, you do care about power. That I know for certain."

"Why are you telling me this? To taunt me?"

"No. I'm proposing a new deal. It's not all that different from our old deal, just, I'll hold up to my end of the bargain this time. I bring you Hope and Hayley, and in exchange, you won't kill Hayley, Hayley and I get to stay by Hope's side and continue to be her parents whilst living alongside you, and—you undo whatever you did to Elijah. How does this sound?"

"I am not agreeing to any deal you offer me, your word means nothing to me, I have no reason to think you won't deceive me again and I will _not_ be taken for a _fool_ , Niklaus."

"You don't have a choice, Dahlia. You're just going to have to believe that I _will_ hold up to my end of the bargain this time. Or... you'll have to kill Freya. But I've already stated my reasons for why I think you won't do that."

Dahlia paused. "I can break Freya's spell without killing her."

"But tell me, how long will that take? I imagine more than a few days."

"More than likely, yes."

"And time is not something you have."

Dahlia paused again. "You realize there is nothing you can do to stop me from killing both you and Hayley once I connect myself to Hope? And there will be no where you can run, that I won't find you."

"But how long would it before Hope finds out what really happened to her parents? She would find out eventually, she is an immortal after all. And then she would resent you. Maybe even more than Freya does. Tell me, how do you like the idea of history repeating itself?"

" _Fine._ You have your deal. But if I so much as sense another betrayal on your part, I will not hesitate to kill you and your siblings, family or not. _With_ the exception of Freya. Though she will be punished dearly for her brother's brother."

"There is no need for you to worry. I intend to keep my word this time around."

Dahlia threw Klaus a cold look. "There's still the issue of punishing you for _this_ betrayal. I don't feel you've suffered enough yet," Dahlia said, waving her hand, Klaus flying through the air, landing against a wall. Dahlia then walked over to the sleeping Freya, leaning over and grabbing the blue pendant around her neck with one hand. Dahlia stared at the pendant intently and muttered an incantation, the pendant beginning to glow brightly.

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Gia let out a sigh of relief when she saw Vincent's eyes slowly open, having recovered from the mystical drug overdose. "Oh thank god, I can't tell you how pissed I would've been if you just went and died on me back there," Gia said with a smile on her face. "I've already seen one too many people OD in my life."

Vincent gave Gia a confused look as his eyes fully opened, getting up off her lap and sitting upright on the couch, tasting blood in his mouth. He stared at Gia for a long moment before saying anything, Gia staring back at him awkwardly. "You're—I've seen you before. You're one of them. You're a vampire," Vincent stated.

Gia laughed awkwardly. "Okay, did that drug mess with your memory? We've already been over this, you knew I was a vampire before you invited me into your apartment."

Vincent paused, still looking confused. "Apparently I did."

"That little potion you drank, it did screw with your memory, didn't it?"

Vincent hesitated for a moment. "...Yeah. I think so. I'm sorry, I really have no clue of who you are. Other than the fact that you're a vampire. And judging by the taste in my mouth, I think you fed me your blood."

"I did. I'm Gia. I'm a friend of Marcel's."

"And I'm...?"

Gia gave Vincent a concerned look. "You're Vincent Griffith, a witch from the Treme coven—what else don't you remember?"

Vincent's eyes widened. "A lot. This potion you're talking about—"

"Look I don't know much of anything when it comes to witchcraft, I'm probably the last person you want to be asking for help right now, is there some kind of magic doctor I can take you to or-"

"Does only Marcel know you're here?" Vincent interrupted.

"Vincent, why are you asking-"

Before Gia could finish her sentence, Vincent held out one hand towards her, and suddenly she felt like her head was about to explode. She put both hands on the sides of her head and fell off the couch and on to the floor, the pain slowly intensifying as Vincent began to mutter an incantation in a language she didn't recognize.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Klaus got to his feet, staring at Dahlia with a look of horror on his face as she took her fingers away from the blue pendant that was hanging around Freya's neck. "What... did you do?" Klaus asked, fearing the worst.

Dahlia stood up and looked back at Klaus, a sinister grin on her face. "I released poor little Finn from the prison that _was_ Freya's talisman," she replied, Klaus' eyes widening, his suspicion confirmed. "The spell I just cast would've put him back in his original body, but I'm given to understand that that body has since been destroyed, so.. his soul would've just been sent back to the last body he inhabited before Freya forced his soul into her talisman."

"Vincent Griffith," Klaus muttered under his breathe.

"Whoever that is."

Klaus shook his head. "I'm not too terribly worried about it. I'll just kill him in Vincent's body. Not like I knew Vincent anyhow."

"I imagine if you do that, the witches of this city will loathe you even more than they do right now, not to mention Freya. You should've seen the way those two were with each other before I separated them. Like two peas in a pod... To be honest, I don't understand why she imprisoned him in the first place, seeing as how close they use to be to one another."

"Freya wanted to keep him safe from my wrath... that and Finn doesn't particularly care for life. Keeps on wanting to off himself. She saw imprisoning him as a way to keep him safe."

"A plausible explanation. Either way, you'll have to wait to kill Finn another day. I'm afraid we can't fit fratricide into our busy schedule. Besides, if I let you kill Finn so soon, what would have been the point in releasing him from that pendant in the first place? Unless our deal is off now, in light of recent circumstances?"

Klaus gritted his teeth. "No. Nothing has changed. But before I take you to Hope and Hayley, Elijah—I want you to fix him, _now_."

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, Niklaus, I don't have the ingredients on me to preform such a task right now. But I can leave him with a list of the ingredients he will need to undo what I've done, for him to read when he awakens."

"What are the ingredients, just out of curiosity? Can I not fetch them for you down at the local magic shop?"

"No. What Elijah will need... are items you can't purchase in a shop. Soil from his native land, a lock of the hair of the witch who cursed him, and... the heart of someone he's killed. I believe that last item I mentioned will be the hardest one to obtain."

"You're not wrong there. Though I'm wondering how hard it will be to get a lock of your hair."

Dahlia frowned. "I'll give it to you once I have Hope in my arms and no sooner. To ensure you hold up to your end of the bargain this time."

"I think you'll give it to me right now. Remember, without me you will not be able to so much as get in the same room as Hope, unless you're willing to take on Hybrid Hayley without the use of your powers. You're in no position to be making demands, Dahlia."

Suddenly, Klaus felt as though a thousand needles were being stabbed into his brain, all at once. He fell to his knees in pain, no longer able to stand, clutching his temples, grunting. "You frustrate me like no other, Niklaus. It hardly surprises me that your siblings turned on you when you needed them most."

"You think I care... if I'm a pain in the arse?"

"No. I think you enjoy being a thorn in someone's side if I'm being honest. But annoying or not, you do make a point. Having you by my side would be beneficial," Dahlia admitted, raising one hand in the air and snapping her fingers, the pain in Klaus' head slowly fading. "But as I previously said, I will _not_ tolerate you betraying me _again_."

"I know."

"Now, before you take me to see your daughter, let's get you something to eat. A few tourists perhaps, not like there's any shortage of them."

Klaus just knew Cami would be crossed with him once she heard that he had killed a few innocent people for the sake of deceiving Dahlia. But really, what did a few lives matter, if it meant protecting his daughter? He wouldn't hesitate to murder the entire human population of New Orleans if it meant keeping Hope safe and well.

 **Former Mikaelson Mansion...**

Rebekah stood next to Marcel in front of a small tombstone in the ground that only had one name on it: _Esther._ No date of birth or death. Marcel was holding a shovel in one hand, looking at Rebekah as she stared at Esther's tombstone anxiously. "Remember the last time we were here?" Marcel asked, trying to make conversation with Rebekah.

"I do. During a time in which my mother was dead and I was hoping she would stay that way. Now here we are, planning to dig up whatever's left of her rotting corpse and breathe life back into it. We're going to be resurrecting the lunatic that has threatened my life and the lives of my brothers _and_ my niece on numerous occasions now-"

"I'm sure Klaus will put her right back in the ground once he's done with her," Marcel interrupted.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Killing our mother has never been the easiest of tasks. And even then, she always seems to find a way to come back. I just wish there was a way that we could kill her and be certain that she would never return again."

"That's understandable."

Rebekah sighed. "Yeah. Well, let's dig the bitch up and get this over with."

Marcel gave Rebekah a worried look before he began to dig, Rebekah taking a few steps back, continuing to stare at her mother's tombstone.

 **The Streets of the French Quarter...**

A man and a woman were walking happily arm in arm down a street in the French Quarter, smiling. The couple soon passed by Dahlia, who was standing in the shadows with a black umbrella, watching as they turned down an alley way with a sly grin on her face, knowing the dark fate that awaited them in that alley way.

"We made it, one year already," the man said.

"Did you ever have any doubt?" the woman asked, looking up at the man's face briefly as they walked. The pair stopped walking for a moment, the man leaning in to kiss her.

Just then, Klaus appeared in the alley way, using his enhanced vampire speed, the couple breaking apart and looking at Klaus with a startled expression on their faces. "Good day. I was wondering if you two could help me? I'm feeling a bit famished," Klaus said, the couple giving him an awkward, guilty look.

"I'm sorry, we don't have any change," the woman said apologetically.

Klaus chuckled, to the man's concern. "Well that's no problem, love! I'll just help myself," Klaus replied, his vampire features manifesting instantly. The couple let out a gasp, the man gesturing for the woman to get behind him before Klaus lunged at them, a hungry look in his eyes.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Elijah awoke on the floor of the St. James Infirmary, his neck having healed itself. Kol was standing a few feet away from him, staring at a small piece of paper in his hands intently, leading Elijah to assume that he was reading. Slowly, Elijah got to his feet, his neck aching a little while he did. He put one hand on his chin once he got to his feet, just to see how much blood there was. When he pulled his hand back, he noticed that most of his hand was now wet with blood. He stared at the blood for a moment, before finding himself in a corridor, chasing a bleeding Tatia, who was running towards the red door. Before Elijah could catch Tatia, Tatia put her hands around the doorknob of the red door and opened it quickly. Once the door was open, Elijah stopped, watching as several people walked out from behind the red door, one after the other, some with huge, bite marks on their neck that could only be from a vampire, others with broken necks.

Kol put the piece of paper in his coat pocket and looked over to Elijah, who was still just standing there, staring at the blood on his hand. "'Lijah, are you alright?" Kol asked. "Just a bit of blood, nothing to worry about for immortals like us."

Elijah didn't react to what Kol had just said. It was as if he was frozen in place. "Elijah?"

"The door... the red door is... _open,_ " Elijah replied, his vampire features suddenly manifesting, his eyes growing darker and his fangs protruding outward.

 **Author's Note:** _And thus ends the latest chapter, I hope everyone enjoyed it. I was surprised that last chapter was received as well as it was, but I'm often critical when it comes to my own work. Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter, and thank you for everyone who is still reading in spite of the longer wait between chapters these days. There is still one more chapter to go of episode 21 AU, before I get to my alternate season finale, so stay tuned folks._


	40. Point of No Return, Part 6

Episode 21: Point of No Return

Part Six

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Kol's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. _The Red door. Elijah's red door. Open._ A door that had remained closed for nearly a millennium. He couldn't imagine how many violent acts were stored behind that door, but he figured there was enough that it was going to have a powerful impact on his older brother and fundamentally change who he was as a person. He could no longer pretend to be the noble man he, and others, saw himself as. "Elijah-"

Before Kol could say anything more, Elijah pounced on him, pining him down on the floor. "Elijah, listen to me," Kol pleaded, Elijah hissing in response. "Hope—our niece is in danger, Dahlia is still out there, and Nik's with her right now, no good will come of that. Elijah, I need the brother I know right now, not the beast behind the red door."

" _You never knew the real me, Kol. No one did. Not you, not Rebekah, not Niklaus—not even I knew. But I know now. I am one of the greatest monsters this world has ever seen."_

Kol swallowed, looking up at his older brother nervously. "No, you're not. Or fine, maybe you are. I may not know even a fraction of what was behind that red door, but it couldn't possibly be anything worse than what Nik and I have done. And we're _not_ monsters."

" _Yes, you are. As am I. We can deny it all we want, but it doesn't change anything. It doesn't change who we are. Demons who sustain their own life by drinking the blood of others, and sometimes we take great joy in it. We are monsters. All of us. We're a curse on this Earth, stretched out over generations."_

Kol recognized that phrase. Elijah wasn't the first one to say it. No, he remembered their mother—Esther saying it, the night she tried to kill them and all of her children, because she thought of them as abominations, and regretted making them into vampires. He didn't think what she said that night had stuck with Elijah. It was just the words of a mad woman, there was no reason to place any importance on them. "Elijah, our mother-"

" _Was right about us. She was."_

"No, she wasn't. A thousand years on the Other Side, and the death of one child and the kidnapping of another, left her mad. You know this. Anything she says— _none_ of it, means anything."

Elijah hissed again and Kol braced himself as Elijah leaned in on one side of his neck, preparing to bite him.

 **The Streets of the French Quarter...**

Klaus was standing still, a smile on his face, fresh blood running down his was walking towards him, looking quite satisfied herself as she first looked at Klaus, then at the corpses of the man and woman she had picked out for him. They both had bite marks on their necks and looked to be completely drained of blood. "So much for my theory that you had grown soft after becoming a father. That couple had their whole lives ahead of them."

"That they did. But they were mortals. They would've died had I not killed them any ways. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after that. But all mortals die some day, maybe from disease, illness, or age, but their deaths are all inevitable. At least this way their deaths served a purpose," Klaus replied stoically.

Dahlia looked mildly impressed by this response. "Couldn't have said it any better myself. Tell me, how do you feel right now?"

Klaus smirked. "Full. Well nourished."

"Just what I wanted to hear. Though I would have happily found you a few more victims if need be."

Klaus laughed a little, Dahlia grinning widely. At that moment, Klaus' cellphone began to vibrate in his pant pocket, to Dahlia's annoyance, who let out a sigh. Klaus took the phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. _It was Rebekah._ Reluctantly, Klaus answered the call and held the phone up to his ear, Dahlia watching him intently, making him a little anxious. "What is it Bekah?" Klaus asked.

" _Marcel and I have dug up the body. Surprisingly enough, she's only slightly decayed. Where do we go from here, Nik?"_

Klaus paused, choosing his next words carefully, knowing that Dahlia was listening, just waiting for an excuse not to trust him again or to punish him some more. "Go back to the compound. I'll be meeting you there shortly."

" _Alright. Is everything okay? I imagine it is since you were able to pick up the phone. Did Dahlia not come to Algiers like she said she would?"_

"She did. Elijah broke her neck-she's unconscious," Klaus lied, in spite of himself. He didn't want to lie to her, they were still on the same side after all, but he had to if he was going to give Dahlia the illusion that he was actually on her side. Still, perhaps there was something he could say to Rebekah, to let her know that something was up, that wouldn't make Dahlia suspicious. Something he could say to her that Rebekah knew he would never say unless something was seriously wrong.

" _Good. We'll have to act quickly then. I don't think it would take her terribly long to heal, given all the power she apparently has."_

"Agreed. See you at the compound, sister. _I love you,_ " Klaus replied as he hung up the phone, slipping it back into his pant pocket. He knew Rebekah would question the fact that he just told her he loved her. In a thousand years, he rarely ever told anyone he loved them, but Dahlia didn't know that.

Dahlia folded her arms. "Do tell me what that was about."

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just a plan we had to keep you away from Hope for as long as possible, until you had to go back to sleep for another century, since that's all we can do seeing as how you're impossible to kill. But none of that matters any more. My loyalties lie with you now."

Dahlia looked at Klaus sceptically. "Whose remains have Rebekah and Marcel dug up?"

"...Our mother's. Your sister's. _Esther's,_ " Klaus answered, Dahlia's eyes widening. "I like to take her remains with me wherever I go. As I said, we were planning to leave New Orleans behind, to evade you for the rest of your year. You see Esther has a nasty habit of coming back from the dead and plotting my downfall and the downfall of my siblings, as I'm sure you already know... I like to keep a close eye on her."

"Your friends close, and your enemies closer... and you asked her to go to the compound. Tell me, is that where Hope and Hayley are?"

"It is."

Dahlia frowned. "You realize your sister will do everything in her power to stop us from leaving with Hope?"

"I do."

"Then why tell her?"

"To get her out of the way. To leave nothing to chance. Once I see her, I'll snap her neck. That'll keep her down for a few hours. Long enough for us to get out of the compound with Hope."

Dahlia's frown faded. "Alright. Shall we be on our way to the compound then?"

"It is where I planned to go next. But before we leave for the compound, there's another phone call I want to make. You see, I still haven't forgiven my brother Kol for his part to play in my being daggered. I have a plan to get even with him that involves having a little word with his girl."

Dahlia grinned. "By all means, make your call."

 **The Claire Tomb/ "Kol's Playhouse"...**

Davina was standing in front of a table in the Claire Tomb, a stressed look on her face. On the surface of the table were several loose pages, and Kandahar root. Just then, her cellphone began to vibrate in her pant pocket, and quickly, Davina took the phone out, a part of her hoping that it was Kol who was calling her. Instead, it was the man she hated with a passion, the man who killed her friend Tim and nearly killed Josh—Kol's half brother, Klaus. With a sigh, Davina answered the call and put the phone up to her ear. _"Davina! How are you?"_

"What do you want Klaus?"

" _Oh, A family I can depend on, that are guaranteed not to turn their backs on me when I need them most, a daughter who isn't in constant danger—I want a lot of things, Davina. But there's only one thing I could possibly use you for right now."_

Davina gritted her teeth. "And what would that be?"

" _Did Kol ever tell you the story of the first time he and Marcel met?"_

"Klaus, I don't have time for this, and I can't imagine you do either-"

" _Of course you do! I imagine there's a part of you that's quite interested in what I could possibly have to say next."_

Davina paused. "This story, it's going to paint Kol in a pretty bad light isn't it? Because you're mad at him right now for daggering you, and you think the way to hurt him is through me."

" _You're smarter than what people give you credit for. Still, on to the story, shall we? The year was 1821. Marcel was around the age of 10 or 11, and Kol was daggered, lying in a box. Because I felt Kol had been daggered long enough for his last act of depravity, I pulled the dagger out, and oh what a mistake that was. You see, Kol quickly learned how attached Elijah and I were to the young Marcel—he even thought that we were more attached to Marcel than we were to him. Long story short, Kol's jealousy got the better of him. Kol decided to show Marcel the theater by compelling a large number of people to perform the Shakespeare's Hamlet. By using compulsion, Kol ensured that all of the murders within the story actually happened, resulting in the actors he compelled... actually dying. Kol also forced poor Marcel to watch."_

Davina's heart sank deep within her chest. "...Oh my god. No... no..."

" _He was planning to turn Marcel into a vampire against his will once the play was done. The only reason why he didn't is because Elijah and I stopped him. He then got sent back to the box he was lying in, with a dagger in his chest yet again."_

"I don't believe you! Kol couldn't have done that. You're lying. You made all of that up, you must have."

" _Oh but you do believe me. In your heart of hearts, you know I'm telling you the truth."_

"You aren't! You lie, it's what you do!"

" _Well, if you truly doubt what I'm saying... then why don't you ask Kol about it?"_

Davina hung up her phone and placed it down on the table next to her. She didn't want to believe a word of what Klaus just said. Because if she did, it meant the guy she was in love with, once traumatized the man who was like a father figure to her, when he was only a child, just out of pure jealousy. And that truth was too horrible for her to accept.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Elijah had sunk his fangs into the side of Kol's neck, piercing his carotid artery and drinking his blood. Kol grunted in pain for a few more minutes before using every last bit of strength left in his body to force Elijah off of him. He threw Elijah back a few feet, and quickly, Kol used his vampire speed to get to his feet. He then ran straight at Elijah, tackling him and pining him to the nearest by wall. "The Elijah I know is in there," Kol insisted, looking into Elijah's black as coal, vampire eyes. "I know he is. Elijah, you're strong, there is nothing you haven't been able to overcome in a thousand years. You can overcome this, I know you can."

" _Don't you understand, brother? I don't want to overcome this!"_ Elijah replied. _"The only thing I want, is blood!"_

"Where was this Elijah when I wanted him?" Kol joked, attempting to lighten the mood, but Elijah was unamused. "You have to, overcome this. For Hope's sake, for Hayley's," Kol pleaded, desperately trying to bring out his brother's humanity. "For your family's."

" _Our family... and Hayley... will all be better off without each other,"_ Elijah hissed, shoving Kol backwards and darting out of the room using his vampire speed, Kol letting out a sigh as he watched, opting not to chase him. He didn't know what more he could say or do for Elijah, he couldn't pretend like he understood his situation, and if his family wasn't enough incentive for him to come to his wits again he didn't know what was. It seemed as though the Elijah he knew was gone for the time being and trying to help him right now would be pointless.

Kol then found himself tending to an unconscious Freya. He knelt down beside her and gave her a look of concern. While he was furious with her for not telling him about what she had done to Rebekah earlier, or told him at all, she was still his sister, and still the one who helped save his life and restore his original body. And it wasn't as if he hadn't done anything horrible to a sibling before, he just never dreamed of doing something like this for the reasons she did. She was willing to put Rebekah's very soul in danger if it meant putting herself one step closer to killing Dahlia. He didn't understand just how much Freya hated the woman until now.

Kol then looked down at Freya's pendant, and noticed it was starting to glow brightly, to his confusion. He knew she had stored Finn's soul inside her pendant, and he couldn't help but wonder if the glowing wasn't related to that.

 **The Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus and Dahlia entered into the courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound, where several werewolf guards were waiting for them, Klaus still wearing the blood of his latest victims on his chin. The guards rushed towards Dahlia, only for Dahlia to wave her right hand, sending every guard in the courtyard flying through the air, all in different directions.

Dahlia then closed her eyes and put one finger to her lower lip. _"Somnus,"_ Dahlia muttered under her breathe. Dahlia turned to look at Klaus, opening her eyes, a satisfied look on he rface. "That should keep anyone else from interfering with our plans. Anyone in this compound, outside of the nursery that is, is now under a powerful sleeping spell. It'll ware off in a day or two, give or take. I can't imagine Hayley would've been very happy if I'd killed any of her wolves."

"How come I wasn't affected then?" Klaus asked curiously.

"Vampires tend not to be affected by that spell. Which is not a problem for me. I have no issues killing vampires myself."

"Because they're Esther's creation?"

Dahlia snarled. "Because they're abominations. The only ones I am willing to tolerate are you and your siblings. That can change, however. I will not hesitate to slay all of you if you continue to prove to be more trouble than you're worth. Now come, I've waited long enough to see your daughter again, and I don't care to wait much longer."

Hesitantly, Klaus nodded. The pair made their way through the compound and to the nursery, Dahlia watching every move Klaus made, waiting for him to betray her at any moment. When they finally reached the nursery, Dahlia stood outside while Klaus entered into the room, greeting a shocked Hayley and Cami, Hayley holding baby Hope protectively in her arms. "Klaus, what have you done? Why on Earth, have you brought _her_ here?!" Hayley asked in a tense voice, Cami giving Klaus a look that indicated that she was wondering the same thing.

Klaus smirked. "All part of the plan, love. A much better plan that I had originally, admittedly. The plan's this. You, Hope and I leave with Dahlia, Dahlia gives us the means to restore poor Elijah back to his former, _noble_ self, and we all live happily ever after. Well, more or less."

Hayley gritted her teeth, she didn't want to go along with what Klaus was saying, but she couldn't help but feel the urge to trust him. To trust that he knew where he was going with this, that he knew what was best.

"Klaus this is insane, that woman _murdered_ Jackson," Cami jumped in. "Very ruthlessly I might add. You can't be serious about this."

"I am, quite serious in fact. Hope will be safe, she'll have Hayley and I to protect her while we're living god knows where with Dahlia, who will teach her to control the massive power that the firstborn witches of our bloodline are blessed with."

"I don't believe you. This is all an act, isn't it? And Hayley, don't tell me you're just going to go along with this?"

Hayley sighed. "I am. I trust that Klaus knows what he's doing."

"Hayley, this woman killed your husb—oh my god, you compelled her to do more besides leave this room didn't you? You compelled her to trust you?" Cami asked, looking directly at Klaus.

"Wait, what?!"

"Yes. I did. It's true, I took away Hayley's free will for convenience's sake," Klaus admitted, to Hayley's frustration. "Hayley was too much of a wild card otherwise. Now come, Hayley, we're going to meet Dahlia outside this room, where more details will be discussed."

"She is not going to leave this room," Cami insisted.

"Do not test me, Camille. Hayley will do as I say as she knows it's what best for _our_ daughter."

Cami stared at Klaus for a moment with a shocked expression on her face. "Klaus, before you leave—whose blood is that, on your face?"

Klaus felt the colour drain out of his cheeks as Cami asked that question. He really should've cleaned himself up before coming in. "No one you know," Klaus replied simply, a somewhat sad look on his face, to Cami's concern. "Now Hayley, come."

With that, Klaus and Hayley left the nursery, Hayley still holding Hope in her arms. Impulsively, Cami ran after them, Klaus staring back at her, wide eyed as she did. As soon as she got outside the room, she collapsed on to the floor, unconscious, Klaus, Hayley and Dahlia standing a few feet away from her. "This woman, is she important to you?" Dahlia asked, looking down at Cami, and then up at Klaus.

"Yes. If you hurt her-" Klaus threatened.

"No. She will wake up eventually, unharmed. You have my word," Dahlia promised. Klaus stared at Cami in concern for a moment before turning back to Dahlia. "Now, may I hold the child?"

"Not so fast," Klaus replied, stopping Dahlia's hand as she reached out for Hope in Hayley's arms, Hayley staring at Dahlia with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. "I will not see my daughter handed over like the spoils of some war. To that end, I remind you of another one of your promises—you will protect and mentor Hope, drawing from her only what power you require to keep her safe."

Dahlia seemed confused by Klaus' reaction, she always kept her promises. "I will bond her to me first. Once I can channel Hope's power, I will be able to keep her safe from all harm- _always_ under my protection."

"I think not."

"Have I not warned you, _Niklaus Mikaelson_ , what would happen should you betray me again?"

"You offered an alliance that would benefit my daughter, and now you wish to link to her, even though you yourself still suffer from that sleep spell? I will _not_ lose my daughter to that affliction."

Dahlia sighed, growing frustrated. "I will use her power to free myself, as I said!"

"And if you should fail? Or if Hope is not strong enough?" Klaus asked, looking over at Hope, who was watching the pair of them calmly. "She is, is, after all, but a child. An extraordinary child, but a child nonetheless. I will _not_ condemn her to your fate, not when there is so obvious an alternative."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you require power to be immortal without the need to sleep for centuries, then why not channel one who already has eternal life?" Klaus offered, Dahlia looking conflicted, clearly not expecting this, but Klaus smiled at her reassuringly. "Bond yourself to me, the immortal hybrid. Once your sleep spell is broken, then, and only then, may you link yourself to Hope."

Dahlia stared at Klaus for a moment, carefully considering his offer. "Very well. I'll bond myself to you."

 **Author's Note:** _And thus ends the last chapter of 2x21, next chapter will mark the start of my alternate season finale, meaning there's only five to six chapters of this story left (that doesn't mean I won't write more stories set in this continuity though if enough people are interested). I looked over this chapter a couple of times for typos and whatnot, so hopefully there isn't any errors in it, aside from the odd grammatical one. Anyways, as always, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and feel free to let me know what you thought of it with a review, or if you want to tell me what you really want to/don't want to see in my alternate season finale._


	41. The Feast of All Saints, Part 1

Episode 22: The Feast of All Saints

Part One

 **Freya's Dream Space/A Hospital Somewhere in Modern Day New Orleans...**

Freya rapidly blinked as she opened her eyes, finding herself laying upright in a hospital bed, holding a baby boy wrapped in light blue blanket in her arms, staring up at her with a look of wonder in his eyes. Freya looked back at the baby, confused. The last thing she remembered, she was going toe to toe with Dahlia and now, she was in a hospital somewhere, wearing a hospital gown, holding some random baby. "What's going on... where am I...?" Freya asked herself out loud, lifting her head and seeing Matthias standing by her bedside, wearing modern day clothes, to her further confusion.

"We're at the hospital silly. You just gave birth to our son," Matthias replied with a smile on his face.

Freya shook her head, refusing to believe what she was seeing. "No. No... our son," Freya paused, her eyes filling up with tears as she looked at Matthias, then down at the baby boy in her arms. "Our son is dead... as are you," Freya continued, looking back up at Matthias. "Matthias. You're dead. Dahlia killed you with her hex."

Matthias was now the one who looked confused. "Freya, I'm not dead. Honey, I'm standing right here. And as for Dahlia, she's been locked up in a psych ward. You know that."

"You're not here Matthias. And—and neither is this child. This is a dream. All of it. A very cruel dream... but a dream nonetheless."

Matthias leaned over and kissed Freya on the forehead as she began to cry, allowing the tears to flow. "This isn't real, this isn't real," she whispered to herself.

"Shh, Freya, darling, it's okay. It's all going to be okay, alright? We're all going to be okay."

"No, it's not. Because I'm going to wake up any minute now... and you'll all still be dead."

 **The Dining Room of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus watched with Hayley and Hope as Dahlia set up the head of dining table for the ritual she was about to preform that would bond her to Klaus. On the head of the table, was an infinity symbol made out of salt and lit candles, where two small pewter chalices sit within each circle in preparation for her linking spell. Klaus let out a sigh, causing Dahlia to look over in his direction, an impatient look on her face.

"You're quiet. Are you having misgivings?" Dahlia asked.

Klaus smirked. "I was just looking for a polite way to ask, "What the hell is taking so long?""

Dahlia gestured to the table. "Well, we can begin now. If there's no objections."

Klaus' smirk faded, tilting his head curiously at Dahlia as he waited for further explanations. Dahlia smiled. "Once we're linked, I'll no longer have to sleep a hundred years again. Your concerns for my status will ease, and I'll _finally_ be able to focus on Hope."

Dahlia looked over at Hope in Hayley's arms, her smile becoming more prominent. Klaus looked over at Hope as well, and Hope turned her head to stare at her father. "I will only need one drop of her blood," Dahlia went on, catching Klaus' attention. "And then her power will be mine also."

"And you shall become like a god of sorts?" Klaus asked sarcastically.

"I am already more powerful than the deities that Pagans worshipped. This will merely add to that power. Once I am linked to you and Hope, I will truly be immortal and no force on Earth will be able to destroy me. I will be alive until the end of time itself."

Klaus forced a smile on his face, trying to conceal the fact that he had no intention of going along with this plan. "Best get on with it, then."

Klaus walked toward Dahlia and met her at the head of the table where she stood. Once there, Dahlia held out her hand, which Klaus took almost immediately, holding it tightly with one of his hands. Dahlia waved her free hand over the table as she began to chant. _"_ _Medareno sometswar. Medareno sometswar."_

 **Freya's Dream Space/New Orleans Hospital...**

Freya was beginning to calm herself down, staring at the baby in her arms and trying to force herself to happy. She didn't know how long this dream would last, but she might as well make the most of it. "Hi there little guy, whatcha doing?" Freya asked the baby in a soft voice, smiling through her tears.

Matthias grinned. "Now that's more like it. Are we still going with the name Finn?"

Freya looked up at Matthias briefly. "We're naming him Finn?"

"Freya, you've had your heart set on that name ever since you find out you were pregnant. You wanted to name him after the brother you were separated from when Dahlia kidnapped you."

Freya only looked more awestruck at the baby in her arms. "Hi little Finn."

 **The Dining Room of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Dahlia was continuing to chant the incantation as she and Klaus clasped hands by the dining room table. After a moment, the pewter chalices in front of her started to fill with fresh blood, which began to pour over the rim and onto the table. From there, the blood traveled toward the center of the infinity symbol. Klaus grimaced at the sight and feeling of it all while Dahlia swayed and held his hand tightly. He hated the thought of being linked to his psychotic aunt, but once they were linked, he could dagger himself and take Dahlia down with him, buying his siblings enough time to resurrect Esther, enhance the weapon they made to kill Dahlia, and finally vanquish their wicked aunt for good.

" _Medareno sometswar. Medareno sometswar,"_ Dahlia continued to chant.

 **At the Hospital...**

"Oh, he's just... he's _perfect_ ," Freya said.

"Yeah. He sure is. Of course we're saying that now. I imagine we'll be thinking differently when he wakes one of us up at four A.M."

Freya laughed a little. "Who needs sleep."

Matthias chuckled. "You're going to be a great mother, Freya."

 **The Dining Room...**

Dahlia was still chanting as her and Klaus' blood began to mingle in the middle of the infinity symbol, merging together. Suddenly, Dahlia and Klaus were both knocked backward forcefully by the power of the spell, falling off their feet. Both Klaus and Dahlia gasped loudly as Dahlia felt Klaus' power begin to rush through her veins, flowing through her, making her feel stronger than ever before.

Hayley watched them with a look of concern on her face, only redirecting her attention to Hope when the little girl began to whimper. She started to rock Hope, humming to her, Klaus quickly getting back on his feet to go over and check on her to see if she was okay.

Just then, Rebekah entered the room, a small look of relief on her face when her eyes found Klaus. "Nik, what the bloody hell is going on?"

"Rebekah-"

The pair were interrupted by Dahlia's laughter, who had just recovered from the spell, slowly getting to her feet. "Your brother just bonded himself to me," Dahlia replied, sighing with pleasure. "I will _never_ need to sleep for a century again."

Rebekah's eyes widened. Dahlia thrusted one arm out, her hand open, looking at Rebekah intently. Suddenly, Rebekah fell to her knees, clutching her throat with both hands instinctively as she began to cough violently, to Klaus' horror. Quickly, Klaus took a few steps back from Hope and reached into one of his coat pockets, taking out the golden dagger that he got from the nursery while Dahlia was busy setting up the spell. Klaus then turned around to face Dahlia, the tip of the golden dagger piercing his chest.

" _You traitorous... bastard_ ," Dahlia sneered, thrusting her free hand toward him, but it was too late for her to save herself for a change. Klaus had already pierced his heart with the golden dagger, plunging it into his chest, gasping again while he did. They both began to weaken immediately as the dagger took its effect. Succumbing, Klaus collapsed on to the floor, unconscious, his skin turning a greyish colour and the veins in his face becoming darker and more prominent, Dahlia soon following, powerless to do anything about it. Whatever happened to Klaus, happened to her now because of the spell she cast.

Hayley, still holding Hope, gasped as she watched Klaus desiccate in front of her, his compulsion on her breaking as he did. Hope was now wailing, upset at the sight of seeing her father dagger himself. Hayley looked over to Rebekah, who had just stopped coughing. "Nik," Rebekah whispered under her breathe, using her vampire speed to run around the room, stopping once she was standing over by Klaus, his hands still clasped over the handle of the dagger.

 **St. James Infirmary...**

Freya awoke with a gasp on the floor of St. James Infirmary, her pendant still glowing, Kol on his knees a few feet away from her, looking relieved that she was awake again. Freya looked around the room, realizing that everything she just experienced, with Matthias and her son, all of it, was just a dream, as she had suspected. She sat up a little, looking down at the pendant of her talisman as she did, staring at it curiously for a moment as it glowed. "Oh no. Dahlia—she tried to release Finn's soul didn't she?" Freya asked, looking over at Kol.

"I don't know. Did she?"

"She must have. And something must've went wrong. The body he's in right now must be rejecting the invading spirit... Which would more than likely be Vincent Griffith. If the body does, his spirit would have nowhere else to go but back to my talisman."

 **(Title Card/Opening Credits)**

 **The Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah, Hayley and Hope met up with Marcel in the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, Marcel standing by a closed casket that contained Esther's remains. "Where's Klaus?" Marcel asked, looking at Hayley, then over at Rebekah.

"He daggered himself," Rebekah replied, shocking Marcel. "After he tricked Dahlia into linking herself to him. Both of them are laying on the floor of the dining room as we speak. Providing no one pulls the dagger out of Nik's chest, we've got all the time in the world to resurrect our mother and kill Dahlia. Though sooner would probably be better than later."

"Well fortunately, we have Esther right here."

"Speaking of undaggering Nik," Rebekah added as she saw Cami enter into the courtyard out of the corner of one eye.

"Klaus is daggered again?" Cami asked.

Rebekah sighed. "It's a long story that I don't feel like telling for a second time. In short, Nik daggered himself, he and Dahlia were linked, and now Dahlia is daggered with him more or less. Now we need a witch here to resurrect my mother so we can use her blood on that weapon Kol and Davina made. Does anyone here know what became of the rest of my siblings?"

"Not off hand, but it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to call them," Hayley suggested.

Rebekah took her cellphone out of her pant pocket, went into her contacts and clicked on Kol's name, selecting the call option and putting the phone up to her ear, listening as the phone rang, waiting for her brother to pick up. _"Bekah?"_ Kol said, picking up the phone.

"Kol, are you alright?"

" _Fine. Where are you?"_

"At the compound. Nik's daggered, he did it himself, he and Dahlia were linked, and long story short, Dahlia went down with him. Are Elijah and Freya with you? Are they both alright too?"

" _...Freya's with me. She's fine too. Elijah, on the other hand... had a bit of a breakdown of sorts. I don't know where is."_

"What happened to him?"

" _His red door opened. I don't know how, but it did. He turned into some violent, feral beast that hardly resembled the older brother we once knew."_

"Oh god," Rebekah said quietly, a concerned look on Hayley's face as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

" _But we can work on finding him later. Killing Dahlia and protecting Hope takes priority. Do you have whatever's left of our mother's corpse with you by any chance?"_

"I do."

" _Alright. Don't go anywhere, Freya and I should be there shortly."_

With that, Rebekah hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pant pocket, Hayley staring at her. "What did he mean the red door is open?" Hayley asked.

"Knowing what happened to Katherine must've been the straw that broke the Camel's back," Rebekah speculated. "I'm certain that was the catalyst. If his red door really is open, every violent act Elijah's ever stored behind that red door, has come back to haunt him. He would remember all of it. I can't imagine what that's going to do to him, or what it's already done."

 **An Alley Way in the French Quarter...**

Elijah had his fangs sunk into a woman's carotid artery, drinking her warm blood as it rushed to the surface and into his mouth. The woman wasn't resisting, or even screaming, just gasping and grunting in pain as Elijah drained the life out of her.

Several feet away from where Elijah and the woman were standing, was a pile of human corpses. There was four of them in total, two adult men, two adult women, all with bite marks on their necks, every last drop of blood drained out of their bodies by a hungry Elijah.

Suddenly, the woman closed her eyes, letting out one last breathe before dying in Elijah's arms. Elijah continued to drink for a couple more minutes before lifting his fangs out of her neck, the woman collapsing on to the ground, dead. Elijah stared at the dead woman for a moment with a stoic look on his face, before bringing his bloody fingers to his mouth and licking them, trying to get every last drop off of them.

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Finn was watching as Gia writhed in agony on the messy floor of Vincent's Apartment, a look of triumph on his face. "Before I might've felt some pity for the man whose life I took but now... I can hardly feel sympathy for taking over the life of a vampire sympathizer."

"Finn please-"

"Begging will get you nowhere-" Finn started, only to be stopped by a sudden feeling of pain in his left hand. Finn looked over at his left hand for a minute, noticing it starting to tremble on its own, to his confusion. He then took note of the ring on one of his fingers. Vincent's wedding ring. He must have enchanted it to work against spirit possession sometime after regaining control of his own body. "No. I won't go back into that talisman again, I won't."

Finn tried in vain to take the ring off the finger with his right hand, only to burn the fingers that he touched the ring with, to his frustration. "No! I will not lose this body again!"

Finn began to recite an incantation, hoping to buy himself a little more time before this magical ring of Vincent's expelled him from his body and sent him back into Freya's talisman. But before Finn could do much chanting, his eyes started to bleed.

 _ **Author's Note:** And thus ends the first chapter of my alternate season finale. As always, feel free to let me know what you thought of it with a review. Personally, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I really like how my interpretation of the Freya character has turned out so far._


	42. The Feast of All Saints, Part 2

Episode 22: The Feast of All Saints

Part Two

 **The Claire Tomb/ "Kol's Playhouse"...**

Davina was standing before the same table she was in front of earlier, chanting an incantation, staring at the roots on the table top while she did. Within a few minutes, the roots had caught fire, and Davina felt a surge of power flow through her body. She began to chant faster, the flames growing rapidly in size before suddenly going out, leaving piles of ashes behind, to Davina's satisfaction, who had just stopped chanting. She was certain her spell had worked. She was certain that she had succeeded in separating Josh and Marcel from Klaus' bloodline.

Excited, Davina took her cellphone out of her pant pocket and quickly searched through her contacts for Josh, calling him on her phone. She held the phone up to her ear and waited for Josh to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Josh. Guess who just finished the spell she was working on?"

"Let me guess... you?"

"Yeah! You and Marcel should be de-linked from Klaus' sireline now. Meaning if he dies, you guys won't go down with him."

"That's great, and what about Gia?"

"Right! I had forgotten about Gia. I'll do her next. It'll be easy. So... do you feel any different?"

Davina heard Josh laughing a little on the other end. "You mean did I feel something when you de-linked me from Klaus?"

"Yeah."

"I'm afraid I didn't. Was I suppose to?"

"Not necessarily. I was just wondering. You never know with these things. So have you had that conversation with Aiden yet, about him being an alpha and you two going off into the sunset together?"

Josh paused. "Not yet. I'm kind of afraid to, to tell you the truth."

Davina thought about asking Josh why, but then she remembered the conversation she was going to need to have with Kol, about the story Klaus told her earlier. Having that conversation was the last thing she wanted to do. "...I get that."

"Something going on with you and Kol?"

"No," Davina lied, shaking her head. "Everything—everything's fine."

"Okay, well that sounded fake."

"It's a long story."

"I've always got time for you Davina. Let's talk about it."

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Finn was still struggling to maintain his possession of Vincent's body, even as his enchanted wedding ring was trying to force his spirit out. He looked over to Gia, who was still beside herself in pain on the floor. Then Finn looked over to the chalice and the athame that Vincent had left on the table. Walking towards the table, Finn picked up the athame with his free hand and held it up to his neck. "If I'm going to go down... I'm taking this warlock down with me. If I can't have this body, neither can anyone else."

With that, Finn plunged the tip of the athame into his neck, stabbing himself. He let out a gasp as soon as he pierced his neck, dropping the athame on to the ground and falling down next to it, his neck bleeding profusely.

Gia overcame the pain in her body as Finn was bleeding out. Panicking, Gia used her vampire speed to go over to Finn's side, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to sit up against her, his head falling against her belly while he drew his last few breathes. Desperately, Gia allowed her vampire features to manifest again, reopening the freshly healed wound on her wrist with her fangs, hoping to save Vincent's life, even if it meant saving Finn as well, which she really didn't want to do. But Vincent hadn't done anything wrong. Vincent didn't deserve to die.

Before Gia could bring her wrist to Finn's mouth, she noticed his eyes begin to glow a bright, shinning blue, to her confusion. Finn's spirit must be vacating his body. His eyes then returned to normal, Vincent presumably in control of his own body again.

"Stay with me Vince, I saved you with my blood once I can do it again," Gia said, bringing her bleeding wrist to Vincent's lips, but Vincent didn't seem to react. In fact, he had ceased breathing altogether, and Gia couldn't hear his heart beat anymore either.

"No, Vincent come on, you can do this," Gia added, trying to force some more of her blood down Vincent's mouth like she did earlier, though she knew it was useless. She couldn't hope to save Vincent's mortal life at this point. But thanks to the blood that she had already fed him, he wouldn't be truly dead. She just didn't know how Vincent would like being a vampire. At least she would be there to help him through it.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya and Kol just entered the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, joining Marcel, Rebekah, Cami and Hayley, who was still holding Hope in her arms, Freya's pending finally no longer glowing. "You know we could always just bury the both of them under six or so feet of cement and be done with it, save everyone a lot of trouble," Marcel suggested.

"I'm not just going to give up on Nik, regardless of how much of a pain in the arse he can be at times," Rebekah replied, Kol smirking in response.

Freya's arms were folded, an unhappy look on her face. "Are you sure about that? I was so sure my blood was the blood we needed to kill Dahlia, and now I'm told that it's our mother's," Freya jumped in, everyone looking at her, waiting to see where she was going with this. "What if we're wrong about that one too? What if there's another witch out there that she loved even more than Esther? Or what if this weapon, for some reason, doesn't even work, and Dahlia lives to see another day? I don't want to take that chance. I say we choose an option guaranteed to work- find the white oak stake, kill Klaus, Dahlia dies with him."

"We're not killing Nik, Freya," Kol stated, looking at Freya incredulously. "His life might not mean anything to you, but we grew up with him, been his brother for a thousand years. Killing him is not an option."

"Kol's right. We're not killing Nik," Rebekah added, siding with Kol.

"Not to mention the fact that every vampire in his bloodline dies with him," Marcel added. "Hundreds, but even thousands of vampires around the world would die if you were to stake him."

Freya had a conflicted look on her face. "Alright. Alright. What's next then? Resurrect our wicked mother?"

"Indeed," Kol said, walking over towards his mother's closed casket. "Well, actually, there's one thing we might want to do before raising mommy dearest from the dead," Kol took a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and passed it over to Freya. "On the piece of paper is a list of ingredients we'll need to cast a spell to fix Elijah, or fix his blood problems at least. We're going to need a lock of our aunt's hair. I think it would be wise to give the crone a haircut before we start the resurrection ritual."

"We'll I'll hop to it then, get a pair of scissors and a plastic baggie, not like you lot weren't going to ask me to do it anyhow," Rebekah said, turning around and walking away.

"Thanks for being such a good sport about it, Bekah!" Kol teased.

"Shut up Kol!"

Once Rebekah had left the courtyard, Kol turned back to look at Freya, then he briefly glanced over at baby Hope, a small smile on his face as he watched his niece rub her eyes and let out a small yawn, clearly tired.

"So, it can't just be as simple as a circle of salt, a powerful witch and an incantation," Freya noted, looking at Kol, Kol nodding.

"You would be correct. Resurrecting a witch that's joined the Ancestors is, well, a little different than. say, resurrecting a spirit that's hanging out on the Other Side. Resurrecting an ancestor... we're not just going to need a circle of salt and some magic words. No, we're going to need the blood of a living blood relative. The more blood relatives you include, the smoother the resurrection will go."

"Well we have four. You, Rebekah, Niklaus and myself. And possibly five providing Elijah decides to show his face sometime soon."

"We can only hope."

Suddenly, Rebekah came running back into the courtyard, at vampire speed, a worried look on her face, all eyes turning to look at her. "The dagger!"

"What about the dagger?" Kol asked.

"It's—it's bloody melting!"

"How?!"

"Dahlia must just be that powerful now," Freya stated, looking even more worried than Rebekah. "Meaning we don't have much time before she wakes up and the dagger is completely melted... Would you all like to reconsider my plan now to kill Klaus?"

"No. We just need another powerful witch. One who can help stop that dagger from melting any further while you focus on resurrecting our mother. Fortunately I happen to know one," Kol replied calmly, despite looking a little nervous himself. "But it'll take a minute or two for her to get here. So before she does, we'll just sprinkle a little salt on that dagger and recite an incantation or two."

 **The Streets of the French Quarter...**

Elijah was walking around the streets of the French Quarter, his hands in his pockets, a troubled look on his face. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured one of his victims that he stored behind that red door, pictured them screaming as he killed them. He felt remorse for most of the lives he took, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was a creature made through dark magic; nobility, morality, none of that was in his nature anymore. He was a beast, and to pretend like he was anything else, felt like nothing more than a lie to him. Just recently he had snuffed the lives of five innocent people to satisfy a an overwhelming thirst for blood. How could someone like that ever change, ever be something other than a beast, Elijah thought to himself.

Then Elijah thought about what Kol said to him earlier. That he had to pull himself together and soon because his family needed him. But he didn't think he could ever pull himself together again, and if he couldn't, it would be better for all of them if he stayed away, so they wouldn't have anymore incidents like him nearly killing Rebekah in Eva Sinclair's body.

At that moment, Elijah spotted a young woman carrying a baby in her arms, that looked to be not much older than Hope was, a man at her side that he could only assume was the baby's father. He stared at the baby for a long moment, thinking of little Hope while he did. His niece. His niece whom he just reminded himself was in danger from Dahlia. Perhaps, for her sake, he could find a way to pull himself together, if even temporarily. Just until Dahlia was out of the way and Hope was safe again. Then he could go back to the self loathing and the acts of depravity.

 **Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

A couple of werewolf guards brought out an unconscious Klaus and Dahlia into the courtyard of the Mikaelson compound, Kol, Freya and Camille standing around waiting while Marcel, Hayley and Rebekah were in another part of the compound with Esther's corpse. In one of Kol's hands was a small bag filled with salt. Freya glanced at Dahlia's body with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. This was the woman who robbed her of her family and her lover. She wanted nothing more than to end her life as soon as possible.

"Are we ready, sister?" Kol asked Freya.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Freya replied, still staring at Dahlia.

Kol knelt down next to Klaus' body, taking note of the fact that some of the handle of the dagger that was sticking out of his chest, was melted. They really didn't have any time to waste. Freya knelt down beside Kol and Kol passed her the bag of salt. Kol moved over a little to allow Freya to get closer to the melting dagger.

Letting out a sigh, Freya opened up the bag of salt and scooped up a handful, sprinkling the salt over the melted dagger and reciting an incantation while she did. " _Convultaras distere. Convultaras distere._ "

"Try to stay focused on the dagger Freya, the spell won't work if you're not," Kol advised. "Looks like you're doing good so far."

" _Convultaras distere. Convultaras distere_ ," Freya continued to chant, Cami watching the dagger in Klaus' chest carefully from a feet away, waiting to see if it was going to melt any further.

" _Convultaras distere. Convultaras distere._ "

In spite of Freya's chanting, the dagger began to melt even further, to Freya's frustration, throwing the rest of the salt on Klaus' chest. "It's no use—there is no slowing her magic, Kol, she is too powerful," Freya insisted.

"I'm not letting you give up so easily sister, far too many lives depend on this spell working. You're not focused enough-"

"I _am_ plenty focused, you're not listening to me Kol. She is _too_ powerful. You forget, she isn't just linked to me anymore but she is linked to Klaus too. That changes everything."

"Nobody is ever _too_ powerful. _Keep. Trying._ "

"No. It's pointless. There is a way to kill her that doesn't involve us going through all that trouble to finish that weapon and you know what it is-"

"How many times must I tell you, Freya, we are not killing Nik!"

Just then, Kol's ears picked up on a faint whispering noise, along with a creaking. After a moment, Freya and Cami heard it as well. The three of them looked up and saw that vines covered in black dahlia flowers were beginning to grow inside the compound. The vines twisted around the railings on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, the three of them now all looking very alarmed.

"What do you propose we do next then brother?" Freya asked.

"The only thing we can do. Keep trying," Kol replied.

"Kol, we're not having any success," Cami pointed out. "Isn't there not a different spell you could try?"

Kol frowned. "There isn't. We have to rely on this one."

 **A room in the Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah stood by while Marcel poured a circle of salt around Esther's corpse, Hayley having left the pair with Hope to go back to the nursery shortly before they took the body out of the casket. Neither of them blamed her, it was probably best that Hope didn't see the decayed corpse of her lunatic grandmother. "We're one step closer to raising my demon of a mother from the dead. Now we just need Davina to arrive so Freya will be free to finish the resurrection process. That and we need Kol and I to spill some of our blood. Though apparently it would go better if we had some of Elijah's blood as well."

"I would try giving him a call if I thought he would pick up," Marcel replied, looking at Rebekah with sympathy. "I'm sure he'll turn up when we're least expecting him to."

"That's a nice thought, isn't it?"

"Elijah wouldn't just leave his family in the middle of a crisis, he loves you guys too much for that."

"Perhaps."

"Rebekah, when this is all over, when the wicked witch has been slain-"

Rebekah gave Marcel a look of surprise. "You want to know if I'm staying here, in New Orleans, don't you?"

Marcel looked like he was about to say something, but just nodded instead, closing his mouth and waiting for Rebekah to reply. "I haven't given it much thought yet, if I'm being honest. Kind of living in the moment these days if you haven't noticed."

 **Courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya was chanting the same incantation again over Klaus' daggered body when Elijah arrived in the courtyard, Kol and Cami greeting him. "Elijah, brother, I have to say I didn't think you were going to come back to your family so soon," Kol said to him, Elijah maintaining a stoic look on his face.

"I came back to help Hope. What's the situation we're currently dealing with?" Elijah asked.

"Dahlia linked herself to Klaus, and Klaus daggered himself. But, it turns out being daggered doesn't really agree with Dahlia and now she's melting the dagger," Cami explained. "We're trying to get Freya to stop the melting process."

"Are you succeeding?"

"No! The dagger's continuing to melt!" Freya cried, clearly frustrated and ceasing in her chanting. "There is nothing we can do to stop it."

Cami gave Freya a sympathetic look while Kol and Elijah rushed over to the desiccated Klaus, Kol quickly realizing that not only was the dagger still melting at the same rate, but Klaus' skin didn't even look as grey anymore, colour slowly being restored to his cheeks. "We're really running short on time if you haven't noticed," Kol added.

 **Author's Note:** _We're getting closer towards the conclusion folks, about four more chapters to go. I'm sorry if this chapter came off as filler or a bit boring at times. As always, I'm grateful for all the feedback I've gotten so far and the following this story has gotten. I never thought I'd be writing 42+ chapters of a fanfiction story but it's been a lot of fun, even if at times a tad difficult and overwhelming, and I've enjoyed it a lot and I certainly don't regret writing it, well, at the moment at least (I'm kidding). Writing a story for yourself to enjoy is alright and all, but I find it's a lot more enjoyable when you have others to share it with._


	43. The Feast of All Saints, Part 3

Episode 22: The Feast of All Saints

Part Three

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

"Has our mother been resurrected yet at least?" Elijah asked.

"Not yet," Kol replied. "Our most powerful witch has been a bit occupied keeping aunt Dahlia down, as you can see."

"Remind me why we're trusting Freya again, the sister who we know for a fact now put our other sister's very soul in danger?"

"Because you need me," Freya jumped in, coming to her own defence. "I know I wronged all of you by doing what I did, especially Rebekah, and I could not be more sorry, but right now we have to focus on the real enemy – Dahlia. And once we have, I promise I will do whatever it takes to make this up to all of you. I am more than willing to work to earn back the trust of each and every one of you."

"Does that not work for you Elijah?" Kol asked, looking at his older brother.

Elijah sighed. "We do need her, I'll give her that. But should you dare harm Rebekah again-"

"You won't have to worry about that," Freya tried to assure him, Elijah giving her a sceptical look, folding his arms.

At that moment, Klaus' eyes opened and he gasped loudly, Elijah, Kol and Cami all giving Klaus their undivided attention, while Freya looked over at Dahlia, waiting for her to wake up next, a terrified look in her eyes.

"Why... why am I awake?" Klaus asked, looking up at Cami. "Have we—no..."

Dahlia suddenly awoke with a gasp next, a furious look on her face. She hadn't forgotten what Klaus just did to her. She glanced over at the hybrid, who was glaring back at her, though she could tell he was still greatly weakened by the effects of the dagger, which only looked somewhat melted, both the handle and the blade. But melted enough that it no longer worked.

With one swift motion, Klaus ripped what was left of the dagger out of his chest, letting out a grunt of pain while he did and tossing it aside.

Freya and Cami helped Klaus get back up on his feet, Klaus using Freya for support as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, while Kol and Elijah stood aside and watched Dahlia carefully as she got to her feet, glaring hard at Klaus as she did. "How foolish was I... to place my trust in you after you already proved to me that you couldn't be trusted," Dahlia stated bitterly.

"Don't blame yourself love, I happen to be very persuasive, not to mention charming," Klaus replied, trying to play it tough, even though he was almost as terrified as what Freya was.

"You're quick on your feet," Dahlia admitted. "But you underestimated how powerful I was. You, Niklaus, were foolish enough to think that a mere dagger would hold me down."

"That wasn't just a mere dagger," Kol argued defensively, Elijah throwing him a look of confusion. "I'll have you know of all the white oak daggers that one was the most powerful of them all. Capable of neutralizing the Original Hybrid."

Dahlia smirked. She then held out one hand, Kol and Elijah sent flying through the air, both landing with their backs against a wall. "Tonight at the moon's apex, I plan to end the lives of all of my sister's surviving children," Dahlia announced. She then made that hand into a fist, knocking both Cami and Freya off their feet and on to the ground, leaving a weakened Klaus the only one still standing. Kol and Elijah attempted to move, only to find themselves mystically held in place, thanks to Dahlia. "You have proven to me Niklaus, that all family will ever bring you is pain."

"But what about the power you receive from Freya, or hope to receive from my daughter? Are you so willing to give all of that up just to spite me?"

"I've already decided to kill Freya. But I haven't decided what to do with your daughter yet, even though she would more than likely break my heart as well, seeing as she's family."

Just then, Marcel and Rebekah raced into the courtyard at vampire speed. Klaus, Marcel and Rebekah all attempted to charge Dahlia at once, only for Dahlia to open her fist, the three of them all falling to their knees, holding their heads in pain. "Have you all not realized yet?! You _cannot_ defeat me!" Dahlia insisted angrily.

Marcel began to bleed from the nose and eyes, Dahlia's magic affecting him more than Klaus and Rebekah.

"Leave them alone!" Freya cried, however, just like Kol and Elijah, she was mystically held in place, stuck pinned to the floor, Cami in the same boat as her.

Dahlia laughed. "You're concern for those you see as 'family', Freya... is irritating. I think I liked you better when you were sleeping... but as it is, surprisingly enough, you're not the one I'm the most angry with right now. That would be the nephew who betrayed me, after I did nothing but offer my help. _Niklaus._ "

Dahlia then walked over to Klaus, who was still holding his head in pain. Smiling sadistically, she placed one finger on his forehead, and suddenly, within the blink of an eye, the pair of them were gone, vanished into thin air and nowhere to be seen.

The pain in Rebekah and Marcel's heads eased up, and Freya, Cami, Kol and Elijah could move freely again, Dahlia's magic no longer affecting them. "Did she just bloody teleport out of here?" Kol asked.

"It would seem that way. And she took our brother with him," Freya replied.

"Where do you think she took him?" asked Cami in a concerned tone, looking over to Freya for an answer.

Freya hesitated. "I don't know. But obviously she's intending for us to find them. She's going to use him as bait to lure the rest of us to our downfall. So she can kill us all in one fell swoop. And she's going to torture Klaus however she likes in the meantime."

"Not like you mind, seeing as how you wanted to kill him," Kol said bitterly.

"You think I would've taken pleasure in killing one of my own brothers? The family I fought to get back to? I didn't want to hurt Niklaus. I saw no other way to kill Dahlia but to kill him too. And now... now she's going to kill us all. And there's nothing we can do about it. We've got no way to kill her-"

"Yes we do," Elijah jumped in. "That weapon we were going to use, we haven't bound it yet with our mother's blood. All we need to do is raise our mother, and take some of our blood. Then we can go save Niklaus and send our _wicked_ aunt off to hell where she belongs. We won't fail."

"You're forgetting that to kill Dahlia we'll have to get close enough to her to stab her first," Freya pointed out.

"Which isn't the easiest thing to do in the world," Rebekah added.

"We'll just... need to take her by surprise is all. I have no intention of forfeiting my life or any of my family's lives. I think you can all understand that. Now—we've no time to waste. Let's go resurrect our mother."

The group conversation was interrupted by Davina, who just arrived in the courtyard, Kol walking over to her to greet her, looking relieved to see her. "Hey, what did I miss?" Davina asked.

 **The Nursery of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah stood just outside of the door frame of the nursery, Hayley standing on the other side, her arms folded, Hope hanging out in her crib. "Are you... are you okay, Elijah?" Hayley asked, a look of deep concern on her face.

Elijah hesitated. "I'm far from okay, Hayley... I don't think I'll ever be _okay_ again. I've been telling myself lies about who I was for the last thousand years, and I believed each and every lie I told as though it were the truth. And now, now I actually know the truth. I know who I am now. I'm everything my mother accused me of being. I'm the monster she thought I was."

"You're not a monster, Elijah. Elijah—hey, look at me," Hayley said, reaching out and putting her hands on Elijah's face as he tried to avoid looking directly at her. "You're not a bad guy Elijah. You're not evil, you're not. You're one of the greatest guys I've ever met."

"No, I'm not. But we can finish having this conversation once the worst is already over. As you know, Dahlia melted the dagger in Niklaus' chest," Elijah paused, Hayley taking her hands off of Elijah's face. "Once the dagger was sufficiently melted, Klaus woke up, along with Dahlia. This you already know. But what you don't know is, Dahlia took Klaus."

"Oh my god."

"I know. Freya is the midst of resurrecting our mother as we speak. Once our mother is alive again, we'll use her blood to complete the weapon we plan to use to kill Dahlia. Then we'll track her and Niklaus down, and we'll end the wretched witch's life. Hopefully she won't have killed Klaus by the time we find her."

Hayley swallowed nervously. "Hopefully. Hopefully you'll off her before she gets the chance to kill anyone else."

"Agreed."

Elijah started to walk away from Hayley, only to stop a couple of steps later, turning around and walking back towards Hayley. "Hayley."

"Elijah?"

"I know you've just your husband and I know-"

Hayley shook her head. "Please, Elijah don't, whatever you're about to say-"

"This might be the last chance I have to say it. I love you, Hayley Marshall, and if I die tonight, without having told you that," Elijah hesitated, seeing a very vulnerable look on Hayley's face. "I would regret it."

"Elijah, this isn't fair-"

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I hope you can at least... understand."

Hayley nodded. "I do, but if you're expecting-"

"I'm not expecting anything from you. I'm not... I'm not expecting anything from you Hayley."

"Okay," Hayley replied, now looking conflicted and a little confused. Elijah turned around and took off, using his vampire speed, Hayley letting out a sigh, turning around herself and walking towards Hope.

 **The Warehouse District...**

Dahlia was dragging a weakened Klaus roughly by the arm into a storage warehouse that was full of antique cars from the early 1900s. Dahlia scowled. "Two centuries ago, this city hung its traitors right here. Though you already knew that. I thought it only fitting that it be your slaughtering grounds," she explained.

"It'll still take some time for you to kill me using magic alone," Klaus replied.

"I'm well aware of that. You seem to think I would have an issue with that. I'll enjoy myself watching you suffer, pleading for your pathetic life-"

"I'll never beg for mercy from the likes of you, and I am _not_ pathetic," Klaus spat.

Frustrated, Dahlia threw Klaus to the ground, waving her hand over him to keep him held mystically in place. Dahlia then walked a few feet further away from Klaus. She then extended out one arm towards Klaus. _"Ignis!"_ she shouted, creating a ring of fire around Klaus, from which he could not escape. Klaus stood up and immediately rushed towards the flames, Dahlia no longer keeping him magically pinned to the floor, only to find that he could not walk through the flames as much as he wanted to.

"Try all you like to get through," Dahlia said with a small laugh. "That circle is designed to hold you in place for as long as I like. The flames weren't necessary, but you know how I'm one for the dramatics."

Klaus glared at Dahlia, his nostrils flaring. "You haven't won yet, Dahlia."

"Oh, haven't I? It's only a matter of time before your siblings come looking for you. If all goes according to plan, they'll arrive at nightfall, and then I can kill all of you in one go."

"You're wrong. If we all stand together, which we will, we'll kill you before you kill a single one of us," Klaus argued.

"It amazes me. How you loathe Mikael so much, and yet... you are so similar to one another, personality wise."

"What can I say, our parents decide who we are."

Dahlia smirked. "I'd like to argue that. My parents were nothing like Esther and I. Unlike us, they were pure of heart. Good people. They would be truly devastated to find out what their children had become."

"How about instead of talking about the grandparents I can never hope to know, we talk about someone we both know in what could potentially be my last hours. You see there's a question that's been on my mind ever since I was reunited with my long lost sister. How did Freya escape you? How did she leave your side without you knowing?"

Dahlia looked bothered by the question but tried to cover it up as best she could, trying to force a look of stoicism on her face. "I don't actually know. Not like it matters."

"Poppycock. Of course you know. Now why won't you tell me?"

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Freya, Kol, Rebekah, Elijah, Marcel and Davina were all gathered around the salt circle where Esther's body laid inside, Kol holding a knife over the palm of his left hand. Without hesitation, Kol slit the palm of his hand with the knife, cutting just deep enough to draw blood. He then stepped inside the salt circle and made his bleeding hand into a fist over his mother's corpse, allowing a few drops of blood to drip on his mother's chest. He then stepped back outside the circle, and passed the knife to Rebekah, who repeated the same process, and then Rebekah turned the knife over to Elijah, who reluctantly did just as Kol and Rebekah did.

Freya then held hands with Davina, both of them staring at Esther's body with a look of concentration on their faces. They began to chant, Kol watching Davina while they did, ready to step in and stop them if Davina started to look exhausted. As the chanting continued, Rebekah noticed that Esther's body was starting to look less and less decayed. Impulsively, she reached for Marcel's hand, Marcel giving it to her.

Suddenly, the entire room began to shake, Freya beginning to look overwhelmed while twin trails of blood were running down from Davina's nose. "Davina!" Kol shouted, attempting to reach out to Davina from across the salt circle, only for Elijah to hold him back, restraining him.

Esther gasped, rapidly blinking her eyes, and instinctively sitting upright. Elijah released Kol, Kol darting across the circle to be at bleeding Davina's side, while everyone else looked to the recently resurrected, and naked, Esther, Rebekah taking her hand back from Marcel before anyone noticed.

Elijah, using his vampire speed, briefly ran out of the room, and came back in holding the cursed shackles in his hands. Before Esther could even stand up, Elijah went over to her, crossing the salt circle and slammed the cursed shackles on to her wrists to prevent her from doing any magic. Esther stared at Elijah for a moment, a look of bewilderment on her face. Elijah smirked. "Welcome back, mother."

 **Author's Note:** _So this is probably one of the better chapters for the shippers who read this story, or at least better for the Kolvina, Haylijah and Rebel shippers (are there that many Originals fans who ship Rebel just out of curiosity? I'm mostly indifferent to them but I felt it was logical for the story if that makes). Those ships get their moment this chapter, before, you know, all the angsty stuff happens over the next couple of chapters as this story wraps up. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and if you didn't enjoy the ship stuff, hopefully you enjoyed the moments between the different Mikaelson siblings, or enjoyed the suspense. Oh, last thing, for those of you wondering, no Rebekah does not know about Freya's hand to play in the Eva Sinclair crisis. No one's told her yet. She will find out, however, before the story ends._


	44. The Feast of All Saints, Part 4

Episode 22: The Feast of All Saints

Part Four

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

Vincent awoke with a gasp, immediately clutching his chest. Gia was sitting a few feet away from him, a flask filled with human blood in her hands, and an anxious look on her face. "It's okay. You're in transition," Gia informed him.

Vincent sat up, alarmed, staring at the flask in her hands. "What do you mean I'm in transition?"

"I mean, Finn's spirit tried to take your body again, I don't know how, but he did. And he just left your body. But before he did, he, um... he _killed_ you. And when you died... you had some of my blood in your system. The blood I gave you so you wouldn't have died from that overdose."

"So, I'm—I'm a vampire?"

Gia hesitated. "Sort of. Not yet. Not really. You have to complete the transition by drinking a bit of human blood. If you don't drink any blood within the next twenty four hours, then you'll actually die."

"I already am actually dead! I'm-" Vincent was interrupted by a general feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. "Ugh."

Gia gave Vincent a look of concern and moved closer towards him. "You're thirsty, here, drink this, it'll make you feel better," Gia suggested, trying to give Vincent the flask, but Vincent refused to take it.

"I don't want it Gia."

Gia gave Vincent an incredulous look. "You want to die?"

"No. But I don't want to be a vampire. I'm a witch. If a witch becomes a vampire—I can't be consecrated. I won't be able to join my ancestors. And I won't be able to tap into my magic ever again."

"Do you think you can still be consecrated if you die without drinking any blood?"

Vincent paused. "I don't know. Probably not. Never heard of it being done before."

"Is it something you're willing to throw away your life for? 'Cause I gotta tell you, being a vampire isn't even that bad. In fact I've enjoyed life more as a vampire than I ever did as a human. Back when I was a human, I lived a life without purpose."

"And you think vampirism has given your life purpose?"

Gia hesitated once again. "You know let's not focus on me right now, let's focus on you. If you become a vampire, I promise you won't be going through it alone. I'll be there to help you every step of the way and so will Marcel or Josh or my friend Elijah-"

"Gia I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but I really don't think vampirism is for me."

"How do you know? You haven't even tried it yet."

"I know enough about vampires, and enough about myself, that I know what I would be like as one. I—I would hurt people Gia. Countless people. I don't wanna do that, okay? I don't wanna hurt-" Vincent stopped talking for a moment, his eyes focusing on the flask in her hands. His body was telling him to rip it out of her hands, to drink every last drop of the fluid that was in there. "Gia, get that flask out of here—now. Please."

"Vincent I really think-"

Before Gia could finish what she was about to say, Vincent had snatched the flask out of her hands and tossed it towards the door, Gia staring at him in shock for a moment. "Get it out of here Gia. I don't _want_ it."

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Esther was sitting on a chair in a dressing room within the Mikaelson compound, facing a mirror, now wearing a plain black dress and flats, her hands still shackled. Elijah stood behind her, holding the knife in one hand that they planned to use to kill Dahlia. "Let me guess—you brought me back from the dead to _torture_ me," Esther said, an amused look on her face.

Elijah rolled his eyes. That was the first time Esther spoke since they had resurrected her. "My dear mother, we simply need your blood. Though, in the event that you should suffer horribly, I can't promise I won't enjoy it immensely."

Suddenly, Freya entered the room, joining the pair, staring at her mother with a look of contempt in her eyes as she did. Esther looked back at her blankly. "What could you possibly need my blood for?" Esther asked.

"Killing your abhorred sister," Freya replied. "To kill Dahlia, we need three ingredients that will combine to make a sole weakness. And those three ingredients would be, soil from her native... the ashes of her Viking oppressors... and last but not least, the blood of the witch she loved most. At first I thought that might've been myself. But as it turns out, the blood we needed was not mine."

"It can't be mine. Dahlia loathed me after I chose to marry Mikael-"

"That's what I thought too," Freya interrupted bitterly. "But according to Niklaus... she does still love you. In her own, twisted way. I think you were the only thing she ever loved in her whole life. Make of that what you will."

"Dahlia..."

Freya rolled her eyes, looking over to Elijah. "Let's just bleed her and get on with it. She's already starting to annoy me immensely."

"Understand we're not going to kill her just yet," Elijah stated, to Freya's confusion.

"And why not? She'll be of no further use to us after this. She'll just go back to being a thorn in our side."

"If Dahlia still does _truly_ love Esther, we can use her to weaken our aunt's defences," Elijah explained, before leaning in next to Esther's head, whispering in her ear. "Just a bit of psychological warfare before I slaughter the both of you."

"Ah, yes. You expect me to walk _willingly_ to my death," Esther replied in a sarcastic tone, to Freya's further frustration.

Elijah grinned sadistically, backing away from Esther's chair, alarming Freya a little. "Well, your willing participation would've been an added bonus, but it's far from necessary. If need be, I'll drag you there myself. You forget mother, you're not speaking with the noble stag. You're speaking... with the monster behind the red door."

"Ah yes mother, you should know Elijah is an all together different creature now that the red door's been opened," Kol interjected, him and Rebekah arriving through the same door Freya did, joining the rest of the family. Elijah turned Esther's chair around, forcing her to face Kol, Rebekah and Freya. "Have you bound that blade with her blood yet?"

"Not yet," Elijah confessed.

"Goodie. I actually get to watch then while mother suffers. You see I'm still a little bitter about that time you made me bleed from the nose, oh and then there was that time you carved my name in Runic into my forearm—I understandably have no affection left for you. And I imagine neither does Rebekah."

"You weren't exactly the best mother in the world," Rebekah added, Esther frowning. "What with trying to destroy my original body and all to correct a mistake _you_ made. Not to mention the fact that you tried to kill my lovely niece."

"Another strike against her," Kol agreed.

"I only did what I thought was for the best interest of my family," Esther said in her defence.

Kol smirked. "You've used that excuse far too often mother for it to possibly mean anything. And let's not forget, actions speak louder than words. And what your actions tell me... is that you don't care for any of us. Because love isn't something you feel anymore... Bleed her, Elijah. Let's not waste any more time, we have a brother to save after all."

A look of pure fear washed over Esther's face. Elijah looked over to Freya, and Freya nodded, giving him the go ahead. Elijah then walked around the chair, stopping when he was standing in front of Esther. Esther looked up into her son's stone cold eyes pleadingly, as if she was trying to appeal to whatever humanity Elijah had left. Elijah stared back into Esther's eyes for a moment before grabbing one of her hands roughly, turning it over so that the palm of her hand was accessible. The aim was to get some of her blood on the knife, not kill her. Quickly, Elijah slit the palm of Esther's hand with the knife, cutting deep enough that blood ran to the surface almost instantly, Esther grimacing in pain.

 **Vincent's Apartment...**

"Vincent just give me a few hours to convince you, okay? And if you're still not sold on becoming a vampire then... I'll leave you alone. And you can die in peace," Gia said to Vincent, silently and mentally praying that he would agree to hear her out.

Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose, the uneasy feeling in his stomach only growing the longer he tried to resist drinking from the flask. "Gia, please, just... leave me alone. I can assure you I'm not going to change my mind on this."

"Hear me out and I will. Alright, I give you my word."

"Gia, coming from a former psychology student, I think the reason why you're so determined to force me to transition, is because if I die you're gonna feel like it's all your fault, and you don't wanna deal with the guilt, am I correct?"

Gia shook her head at first. "That's not it," she insisted, but Vincent remained unconvinced. After a moment, Gia nodded slowly. "Alright maybe that does have something to do with it."

"Except my dying had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Finn Mikaelson. If I choose not to transition, and I die, it isn't anyone's fault but his. It's certainly not your fault."

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is. Nothing that happens here, with me, is your fault."

Gia paused, considering Vincent's words. "So I shouldn't feel guilty because I had nothing to do with it. But, don't you feel guilty for Finn did while he was inside your body?"

Vincent looked away from her, neither confirming nor denying it what she just said. "None of that was your fault," Gia pointed out. "But yet you still feel some kind of remorse for what Finn did. Don't tell me you're one of those guys who preaches ' _do what I say but not as I do'_?"

"I am. Have you not figured that out already?"

 **The Warehouse District...**

It was now nightfall, the moon hanging high in the black sky. Klaus was just about out of time and he knew it. His only hope now was that his siblings would come to his rescue, and soon, and have the knife on them that was bound with the three ingredients needed to kill Dahlia. He stared at the flames surrounding him for a moment, before glancing over at Dahlia, who was staring up at the moon through the ceiling's skylight with an impatient look on her face. "So, auntie, are you going to tell me that story or not? I mean what does it matter to you, you're planning to kill me soon any ways. Might as well satisfy a man's curiosity," Klaus argued.

Dahlia sighed, annoyed. "I already told you Niklaus, I don't know how Freya escaped me."

"And I already told you I didn't believe you."

"Do you want me to force your mouth shut again? You know I have the power to do so. The fact that I haven't yet is a kindness on my part."

Suddenly, Freya, Kol and Rebekah appeared behind Dahlia, Klaus noticing them while Dahlia did not. "I don't believe that'll be necessary," Freya said, announcing her presence to her aunt, Dahlia turning around to look at her, smiling wickedly as she did. "I actually pity you. Over the course of our long lives together, I could see you were broken. I used to think it was my fault, but in time, I learned your ability to love died _long_ ago."

Dahlia's smile faded a little. "Darkness isn't born, you know. It's created... by the snuffing out of the light," Dahlia replied, Kol exchanging a look with Rebekah, then another look with Klaus across the flames. "So, however you thought you might mend me, please know you never could. Whenever I looked in your eyes, I saw your mother- the sister who turned my heart to stone. And, with that stone, I _will_ crush every one of her children."

"Isn't there a saying about stones and glass houses?" Klaus mused, Dahlia sneering.

"In case the analogy is lost on you, I believe my brother is calling you a _hypocritical bitch,_ " Rebekah added.

"So you all came to try and save your brother, did you not, knowing full well that you were playing into my hands?" Dahlia asked.

"That was one reason. The other reason we have for coming here on this faithful night... well, in short we plan to murder you," Kol answered, to Dahlia's amusement. "Nothing personal really, it's just you're trying to take someone very dear to us. Okay it might be a little personal, none of us particularly like you truth be told."

Dahlia looked amused. "And how do you plan to accomplish such a task? Surely you've learned by now that I _cannot_ be killed."

"Ah but you can," Freya added, to Dahlia's curiosity. "A weapon bound with three ingredients that combine to make a sole weakness. Soil from your native land... the ashes of your viking oppressors... and the blood of the witch who broke your heart. Your sister."

Dahlia's eyes widened. The sound of chains rattling could be heard in the distance. After a moment, a shackled Esther appeared with Elijah at her side. "We may have taken the time to raise her from the dead," Freya admitted, waiting to see if Dahlia would squirm or not.

Dahlia stared into Esther's eyes, Esther staring back into her eyes, and for a long moment, it looked as though Dahlia was about to cry. But instead, she surprised everyone, laughing hysterically at the sight of her younger sister. "My sister... in chains? Hahaha! Is... Did you bring her here, to serve as a distraction? Or were you hoping to offer her in exchange for your lives? I imagine it's one or the other, please tell me which."

Freya gritted her teeth. "I think I'll leave you guessing."

"Well while we're trying to play on one another's perceived vulnerabilities, I think now would be the perfect time to let you know... I killed the Viking."

Freya stared at Dahlia in disbelief, as did the rest of the Mikaelson siblings. "No. You're lying. You must be. Mikael is in the compound right now where he lies desiccated," Freya insisted.

Dahlia grinned. "He did. You see after paying Niklaus a visit, while he was laying daggered in a casket, I paid a visit to your father. I tormented him for a bit before I finished him off for good. Thankfully I managed to do it without anyone noticing."

" _You will pay!_ " Freya shouted angrily, forcing one hand out forward and reciting an incantation, hoping to weaken Dahlia with it. Dahlia laughed, completely unaffected, raising both arms up in the air, her hands reaching towards the sky. Dahlia then began to cast a spell of her own, to Esther's concern.

A sudden downpour of rain occurred, the circle of fire holding Klaus in place vanishing instantly. Klaus then fell to his knees, coughing violently, his veins becoming visibly red and irritated, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol following. Soon, the four of them fell to their knees, clearly in agony, trying to fight back against Dahlia's magic but to no avail.

Desperately, Freya tried to use another spell on Dahlia, but she was already too panicked for any spell she was trying to cast right now to possibly work.

Klaus, Rebekah, Kol and Elijah were now all on the ground, still choking, becoming weaker and weaker by the second. Dahlia smirked gleefully at Esther as they suffered, Esther watching her children struggle with a look of horror on her face. "Now, sister, what do you say we watch together as I burn your _pathetic_ children from the inside out."

Esther hesitated for a moment before beginning to walk towards Dahlia. "You _still_ resent me for my life's choices, so much... after all these years?"

Dahlia gritted her teeth before raising her voice at her younger sister. "You broke your vow! We were to stand together, always and forever, and you left me to marry that brutish Viking imbecile. You ended my family, and _they_ were the result," Dahlia vented, gesturing towards the fallen Mikaelson siblings. She then snapped her fingers with one hand, nearly every bone in Klaus' body breaking all at once while Elijah scratched at his neck, the veins that ran along his throat turning blood red and swollen.

"No!" Freya screamed, watching helplessly as her siblings continued to cough and gag, their veins becoming more and more irritated, looking as if they were about to burst at any minute.

"You call this _my_ wrongdoing? You made me bargain away my first-born child! My _daughter_!" Esther argued.

"Not just _this_ first-born, but _every_ first-born!" Dahlia reminded her. Elijah pulled out the blade bound with his mother's blood out of his coat pocket, trying to pull himself up on his feet long enough to run Dahlia through. "And even then, you found a way to deny me that which you had sworn to be mine! How do you think _that_ felt?"

Elijah jumped towards Dahlia with the blade clutched in his right hand, but she telekinetically threw him backwards, causing Elijah to drop the weapon. Dahlia looked back up at the ceiling's skylight, where she saw that the waning crescent moon had hit its apex. Dahlia looked back down at Esther and smiled. "Now, Esther, say goodbye to all of your children, I'm afraid you won't get another chance."

Dahlia thrusted one hand forward and put Freya in a telekinetic choke hold, which caused Freya to gasp desperately for air, clutching her own throat with both hands. Esther looked at Freya, then at the rest of her children, who looked like they were just about out of time. They would be dead shortly. "Sister, stop! Wait!" Esther pleaded.

Dahlia looked at Esther, surprised, loosening her choke hold on Freya, and loosened the magic she was using to kill the vampire Mikaelsons, but she didn't completely release any of them. "You've won, Dahlia," Esther insisted. "You have everything you could have ever wanted, including the first-born of a new generation! You have bested _us all_. At least let me try to make amends."

Esther walked even closer towards Dahlia, until finally, there were truly face-to-face, Dahlia watching her with a mildly confused look on her face. "Let me share with you the _glorious_ freedom that I have found... in death," Esther said as she lunged forward, wrapping the chain that connected her manacles around Dahlia's neck and choking her with it. Freya was then completely released from Dahlia's hold over her as Dahlia tried to fight against her sister's grip, Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol all starting to heal and recover, Dahlia's magic no longer affecting them.

Esther struggled to keep strangling Dahlia, looking over at Klaus who looked to be almost fully healed. "Niklaus?"

Klaus, using his vampire speed, rushed over to the knife that Elijah had dropped, knowing it was the one needed to kill Dahlia. He stared at the blade for a second before tossing it to Freya. Freya looked at Klaus for a moment and Klaus gave his older sister a nod of encouragement.

Freya, armed with the knife, ran towards Esther and Dahlia, quickly plunging the blade into Esther's back, stabbing her. She then thrusted the blade through Esther and into Dahlia, piercing Dahlia's heart with the blade, and killing both her mother and her aunt in one shot. Dahlia's head dipped back, her eyes rolling into her skull, her nose and mouth bleeding profusely and her body trembling as the life slowly left her body. As Dahlia died, the rain stopped pouring.

 **The Peaceful Afterlife/10th Century Norway...**

Dahlia and Esther found themselves in a sunny, grassy field. They both looked much younger, like they did shortly before they got kidnapped by the Vikings all those years ago, Dahlia wearing her pink dress while Esther was wearing a yellow dress and a crown of flowers in her hair. Dahlia gasped in shock and looked down at her dress, which had a blood stain over the chest area. "Where are we? Where... what you done, sister?" Dahlia asked with a worried look on her face.

"What I should've done one thousand years ago—stay by your side," Esther replied, gently caressing Dahlia's cheek with her hand. "When I saw my children willing to fight for one another, dear sister... it is only now that I realize my most grievous sin. Not standing by you. _Please_ forgive me."

Dahlia was on the verge of tears. "Oh," she started, lunging forward and hugging her sister tightly, the two embracing for a long moment. "Of course, I forgive you. I just hope you can forgive me."

"I already have."

 **Earth, The Warehouse District, Present Day...**

Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah, Kol and Freya watched as Dahlia and Esther's bodies spontaneously combusted into flames, just like an original vampire did when they died. Freya was teary eyed, wearing a look of relief on her face. It was over. It was finally over. She would never again have to worry about Dahlia. She had also finally avenged the death of her beloved Matthias, six centuries after his death. She hadn't felt this good in quite some time.

"Looks like we'll live to see another day. I'll admit I had my doubts there for a second," Klaus said grimly, watching as his mother's corpse burned with a somewhat mournful look on his face. She did just die to save their lives after all, knowing full well what she was doing. It was the nicest thing their mother had done for them in years.

"May they rest in peace," Kol added, with no hint of sarcasm in his voice.

 **Author's Note:** _So before anyone asks, no Mikael is not actually dead. Dahlia lied for cruelty's sake. The Mikaelsons will find this out next chapter. An idea given to me by Dante 101. Also the idea to have Freya kill Dahlia and Esther instead of Klaus was also given to me by Dante 101. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, next chapter should be the last one of this story. For those of you who've asked whether there will be some kind of sequel to this story I have this to say on the matter: I will probably not write a story as long as this one in the near future, what with University classes and whatnot but rest assured, I can say that I will be writing sequel stories to this story set in the same continuity. I already have some ideas floating around as to what I'm going to do. But some might be under The Vampire Diaries banner instead of the Originals banner, or in the crossover section for both series._


	45. The Feast of All Saints, Part 5

Episode 22: The Feast of All Saints

Part Five

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

It was the morning after defeating Dahlia and killing both her and Esther once and for all. Freya was standing in a room in the Mikaelson compound where they kept several caskets, Freya standing before an open one with her father's desiccated body inside, tears slowly running down her cheeks as she caressed her father's face with one hand affectionately.

Just then, Rebekah walked in, her arms folded, an unimpressed look on her face. She didn't know whether Freya had heard her come in or not, but if she did, she wasn't turning around to face her. "He's still alive you know," Rebekah said. "Surely you've figured that out by now. Dahlia lied. Don't know why on Earth that would be so surprising... Freya you've been with him ever since we got back from the Warehouse District."

Freya turned around for a moment to look at Rebekah. "I know. I'm sorry. But he's my father. The only father I ever have and I—I never got enough time with him," Freya replied softly, Rebekah staring at her with a look of sympathy for a moment before becoming cold again.

"Consider yourself lucky. He was a terrible father. When he wasn't beating Nik bloody he was neglecting the rest of us."

"I know. I know."

"You know what I know, or rather, something I just learned last night?" Rebekah asked, Freya giving Rebekah a look of confusion. "Elijah told me that you were the witch who awakened Eva Sinclair's consciousness while I was possessing her body. And I have to tell you, I didn't want to believe him at first. Then Nik and Kol told me the same thing. So now I'm asking you. Were you the witch who put me through the hell of being tormented by the demented, child killer?"

Freya hesitated. "Rebekah, I—you don't understand. Give me a chance to explain. Please."

"I will, on account of the fact that you're my sister, the only one I'll ever have, and you're also the one who saved me from the Dawager's mansion, not to mention preserved Sinclair's body for me to use at my discretion. Now, explain. Though I don't know what you could possibly say in your defense."

"I needed you back in your original body... Dahlia was coming after me, and I needed as much power at my disposable as I could get. Myself and two original vampires weren't enough to defeat Dahlia, I was certain of that, after spending years by her side."

"And you were willing to do whatever it took to kill Dahlia, even if it meant putting your own baby sister's soul at risk?"

"I was, willing to do whatever it took, because Dahlia took everything from me. She took me from my family, my little brother, my father... my—my mother. Then she treated me like a slave for years, killed the man I love, the father of _my_ child. Or..." Freya paused, Rebekah wearing a conflicted look on her face. "I should say my unborn child. He died, while he was still in my womb. As long as Dahlia was alive I would never be free. But I didn't just want my freedom, understand, I wanted vengeance, I wanted justice. I wanted her to pay for what she did to me, and the people I loved. But that doesn't mean I don't regret what I did, that I don't regret putting you in harm's way. There were so many times I thought about telling you.. but I didn't think you could ever forgive me for what I did. I didn't think you could understand. Rebekah, I know this might not mean much, but for what little it's worth, I am truly sorry."

Rebekah paused. "Maybe I do understand, why you did what you did. But," Rebekah paused again, Freya looking at her worriedly. "It's going to be a long time coming before I forgive you for this. You have no idea what it was like, being trapped inside the mind of one of the most deranged women you've ever encountered-"

"No, I don't know what it was like. I'm not going to pretend I do. But what I am going to do, is work for your forgiveness. As long as it takes. I can be a patient person when I want to be."

Freya gave Rebekah a half hearted smile, and Rebekah smiled hesitantly back, before walking out of the room.

 **The Dining Room in the Mikaelson Compound...**

Rebekah joined Klaus in the dining room of the Mikaelson compound, a compelled woman standing next to a seated Klaus. Rebekah watched as the woman took a knife and cut one of her wrists, holding the bleeding wrist over a wine glass that Klaus was holding up to gather every last drop of blood that was spilled, so none of it would go to waste. "The spoils of war, eh?" Rebekah said, Klaus smiling over at her.

"A family tradition!" Klaus replied gleefully.

Rebekah shrugged. "Minus the family."

Klaus smile faded a little. "Well, you're here."

Klaus handed Rebekah a glass of blood for herself, and Rebekah took it, sitting herself down next to him at the table, letting out a sigh. "I don't think Elijah's ever going to be able to forgive us, for keeping Katherine Pierce's death a secret from him for so long."

"He will, in time. Elijah is anything if not forgiving."

"I'm not so sure. Like it or not Nik, he did care for his _Katerina_ deeply. Had he known she was dying, before she actually croaked... he would've moved heaven and earth to save her life."

"Why is precisely why we didn't tell him as soon as we knew. And frankly I have no regrets regarding the matter. I got to use that little bit of information to make both you and him suffer. Oh I _love_ it when I get to kill two birds with the same stone."

Rebekah had a look of remorse on her face. "I should've never lied to him about it in the first place. As much as I hated Katherine, Elijah had the right to know."

"I hope you don't mind if I happen to disagree with you on this matter," Klaus said as he took another sip of blood. "Besides, what's done is done. Elijah knows now."

"That he does. And we need to do everything we can to help him now that his red door is open."

"He doesn't want help. What our brother wants, is to be left alone until further notice. I say we respect his wishes. And weren't you planning on leaving the city again, now that the threat to Hope's safety has been dealt with?"

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do next actually. And what about you Nik, what are you going to do next, other than leave poor Elijah to suffer on his own? Go back to trying to be King of New Orleans?"

Klaus shook his head. "No. I plan on handing back the reins of this city to Marcel. He always seemed to care about it more than I did anyhow. No, what I'm going to do next, sister, is devote the next eighteen or so years, give or take, to raising my daughter and being the father she deserves. With the help of her mother and Freya of course. One big, happy family. And you, Kol, and Elijah, are more than welcome to join us, and continue living here at the compound. Granted if Elijah does, by chance, happen to want to live with us right now, I'll be keeping a close on him, seeing as how he's a walking time bomb by these days."

Rebekah frowned. "I hope you don't mind but for the sake of preserving what's left of our sibling relationship, I think I'm going to live elsewhere for the forseeable future."

Klaus seemed a little disappointed by this response. "Your choice sister."

 **Kol's "Playhouse"/The Claire Tomb...**

"What do you want me to say Davina?" Kol asked in a concerned tone and a worried look on his face.

"Tell me that Klaus was lying to me, that none of it was true. That you didn't psychologically scar some innocent ten year old boy for life because you were jealous," Davina replied.

Kol reached out to touch Davina's face with his hands, only for her to take a few steps back, Kol's heart breaking a little as she did. "I wished I could say I didn't. But I was a very different person two hundred years ago, love. The man who did those things to young Marcellus, I'm not him anymore. I've changed."

" _Have you_?" Davina asked, tearing up a little, her voice breaking.

Kol nodded. "I have. I've changed so much since. Believe me when I say a lot can happen in two hundred years."

"If you've really changed... you'll apologize to him."

Kol looked at her in disbelief for a moment. "You want me to _apologize_ to him?"

"I'm not asking for much."

"Davina, do you know what happened in the years that followed? I got daggered after I put on that little play for Marcellus. And when that daggered got pulled out, decades had passed, and in those decades I missed, Marcel dated my baby sister, incurring the inevitable wrath of Klaus, who daggered Rebekah over it, and left her daggered for 52 years."

"That was Klaus' fault, not Marcel's-"

"He knew what would happen. He must've. He knew Nik wouldn't punish him, and so he would have to punish Rebekah. And yet he risked it anyways. And Rebekah couldn't be blamed. She falls for any man who gives her one minute of his undivided attention."

"So that's just it, you don't feel any remorse for what you did to Marcel back when he was a boy?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well do you?"

Kol hesitated. "I don't normally allow myself to feel remorse for past sins."

"...How could you expect me to be with a man like that? Someone who just doesn't give a crap when he hurts someone?"

"Davina..."

"I should go," Davina said, turning around and walking towards the exit of the crypt, only for Kol to use his vampire speed to move in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Davina let out a frustrated sigh. "Kol, move-"

"I won't. I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you, Davina Claire," Kol stated, Davina with a look of shock on her face. Kol paused for a moment, staring at Davina, realizing what he had just said. "I do. I love you. God, that might be the first time I've said that in ages, and actually meant it. _I love you._ I love you so much. And I know I've upset you. I know you might not trust me right now, and it might take a while to get that trust back. And I'm not sure what I'm going to have to do to get it back. I will... apologize, to Marcellus, if it means that much to you. And after that, I'll rewire the brain of Kaleb's wanker of a father. Just, don't—don't walk out that door right now, Davina. Please."

"But you wouldn't be doing any of those things because you want to, you would be doing them because of me. Because you want to keep me around."

Kol smiled a little. "Can you blame me?"

"Not for loving me. Anymore than you could blame me... for loving you. But I don't want to be the only reason why you do good Kol."

"Well in all fairness I don't always do good because of you. Sometimes I do good because of my family."

"I just... I don't know how this could work in the long run."

"Then let's not worry about the long run. Let's worry about the here... and now," Kol replied, putting his hands on Davina's face, and Davina not moving away this time. He held Davina's face for a moment, and stared deeply into her eyes, waiting for her to pull away from him again. But she didn't. Then he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, both of them crying a little as they continued to kiss.

 **Aiden's Apartment...**

"So we're really going to leave the city this time?" Josh asked Aiden, a smile on his face as Aiden packed clothes into a black suitcase. Aiden looked back at Josh, returning the smile.

"Yep. Unless you don't want to now."

"No... I'm just wondering if you do."

Aiden laughed a little. "Why would you be wondering that? I mean, it was my idea to leave town in the first place."

"Yeah but in all fairness, that was before, um, Jackson died," Josh replied, Aiden sighing. "And you know, you were made Alpha of the Crescents, and being the Alpha to your pack is something you really wanted to be for a long time and-"

"I don't wanna be an Alpha anymore Josh. I'm not cut out for it. Frankly I just want to leave all the pack politics behind."

"Do the Crescents know this?"

Aiden walked closer towards, stopping when he was right in front of him, and giving him a quick, reassuring kiss before breaking apart. "The Crescents already have a new leader. Or at least, somebody who wants to be their new leader. His name is Travis Lanier, he's my cousin. Bit of a hothead, but I think he's a suitable candidate. He'll probably have some competition though, nothing's really been set in stone yet from what I understand. He just declared his interest in being the new Alpha at Jack's funeral, shortly after I told everyone I wasn't sticking around."

"So we're really doing this then?"

"We are really doing this. So say goodbye to Davina and Marcel, and then pack your bags, because we're heading off to... well I don't think we've decided on a location yet exactly."

"We should probably do that."

"Probably," Aiden said, giving Josh another quick kiss.

"I didn't think I would ever get here, you know? Preparing to leave for parts unknown with a guy I really love."

Aiden smiled widely. "Don't you just love surprises?"

"Surprises are nice."

 **Kaleb's Father's House, somewhere in New Orleans...**

Kaleb stood over his father's body in the kitchen of his home, a horrified look on his face, holding a bloody knife in one hand. His father had a couple of stab wounds in his chest, laying flat on the kitchen floor, dead with a stunned expression on his face. Kaleb, on the other hand, only had one visible wound, which was a fresh, bleeding cut on his forehead that looked it had been created with a shard of glass. Kaleb then dropped the knife to the floor, turning around, falling to his knees and vommitting on the floor. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He'd just killed his own father.

 **Marcel's Loft...**

Gia and Vincent met with Marcel inside the living area of his loft, Gia watching the pair nervously for a moment, before Marcel held out his hand, Vincent shaking it. She was certainly surprised when she was able to convince Vincent to complete the transition, and even more surprised that he was open to the idea of joining Marcel's vampire community in New Orleans while she taught him everything she knew about being a vampire.

 **The Mikaelson Compound...**

Elijah met with Hayley inside his old bedroom inside the Mikaelson Compound, an open suitcase on the bed inside the room. "So that's just it then, after everything, you're just going to... leave town?" Hayley asked, Elijah nodding, looking stoic as he did. "For how long?"

"I don't know yet," Elijah replied.

Hayley nodded, not sure what to say in response. "I see."

"I need to be on my own for a while. I have all the ingredients needed to break the bloodlust curse that Dahlia placed on me. First thing I'm going to do once I head out is find a witch who can put those ingredients to good use."

"Why not just use Freya?"

"Considering Freya betrayed my sister in the past for her own selfish gain, understandably I don't trust her."

"I get that, I don't trust her either, but... she's usually been pretty good when it comes to casting spells for you guys, from what I've seen."

"This is true. Regardless, I'm going with different witch if you don't mind."

"No, by all means."

Elijah went back to packing items into his suitcase, when Hayley spoke up again. "So, you said you loved me yesterday, are we just going to continue to ignore that and act like it never happened?"

"Well that's what _I_ thought we were going to do. I know you don't reciprocate-"

"I do," Hayley interrupted, Elijah giving her a look of surprise. "I do have feelings for you Elijah. I've had them for a while now. But I'm still mourning Jack-"

"I know-"

"I wouldn't feel right diving into any new relationship right now, and I think it'll be a while before I do-"

"I understand," Elijah finished for her.

Hayley hesitated. "And there's something about the fact that I slept with you while Jack and I were engaged, and still had feelings for you the entire time I was married to him, that bothers me now that he's dead. Not just dead but killed by the psychotic aunt of the guy I had feelings for."

"I understand this too," Elijah said, starting to notice a familiar, tingling sensation in his veins. He was thirsty. Cringing a little, Elijah tried to fight back the growing feeling of thirst.

"Elijah, are you okay?"

"No. I—I need to get out of here," Elijah insisted, only for Hayley to try and stop him, concerned. Suddenly, Elijah's vampire features manifested, his eyes turning an onyx black, the blood vessels in his face becoming visible, and his teeth changing as well, to Hayley's horror. Hayley tried to dart out of the room, only for Elijah to grab her by the throat, using his vampire speed and throwing her up against a wall against her will, Elijah much too powerful for Hayley to fight off.

"Elijah, please, don't do this."

Elijah merely hissed in response, moving his hands from her throat to her shoulders, leaning in on one side of her neck, opening his mouth and placing his teeth against the delicate flesh of her neck. Hayley gasped as Elijah bit into her neck with his fangs, breaking skin, blood immediately pooling to the surface. Elijah only sank his fangs in further, trying to collect as much blood as he could from her, completely forgetting who it was that he was feeding from.

"Rebekah!" Hayley yelled, as Elijah continued to feed on her. She was growing weaker and weaker by the second, and for a moment, she could swore she was going to die here, that Elijah was going to sink deeper into this frenzy and rip her head off her body.

Just then, Rebekah entered into the room at vampire speed, attempting to pry Elijah off of Hayley, but struggling a little to do so. Eventually, Rebekah managed to force Elijah off of Hayley's neck, throwing him backwards on to the bed and watching as Hayley collapsed on to the floor, her neck bleeding profusely, but she was still alive. Rebekah then was nearly knocked off her feet by Elijah, who ran out of the room, at vampire speed as well, the lower half of his face still covered in Hayley's blood.

 **Rousseau's...**

Cami walked into the bar, carrying a box full of liquor bottles, only to find that the building was completely empty, except for Klaus, who was sitting there at the bar, waiting for her. "'78. A good year. Crack one of those open, would you?" Klaus asked.

Cami shook her head incredulously. "You _have_ to stop compelling customers. I need the tips!"

Klaus chuckled before pulling out his wallet and taking out a $100 dollar bill, slapping it onto the bar, Cami laughing. "When I first got into town, you handed me one of those," Cami paused, taking out a bottle and pouring a couple of drinks, one for Klaus, and one for herself. "I had taken a shift from another girl. If not for that, could've been someone else standing here right now instead of me."

Klaus smiled at her, standing up a little, and staring at her intensely. "You know, I prefer to see it the other way. If it wasn't that night, this bar, that $100 bill, it would've been Jackson Square, staring at a painting, or Frenchmen Street, listening to jazz."

Klaus continued to stare at Cami for a long moment, Cami staring back at him, looking both nervous and happy. "I would have found you, Camille."

Then, Klaus leaned in and kissed Cami on the lips, Cami putting her hands around the back of his head and kissing him back, both of them getting swept up in the moment.

 **The Nursery of the Mikaelson Compound...**

Klaus was in the nursery of the Mikaelson compound, where he was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a half awake Hope in his arms, telling her a bedtime story with a smile on his face. "Once upon a time, there was a wolf king who fought a war for the most precious treasure in all the kingdom... his beautiful little princess. But, victory came at a price. Allies lost... new enemies made... And so, the wolf king stood alone. Happily ever after, it was not. But, sometimes, even the worst endings are not really endings at all," Klaus paused for a moment as Rebekah entered into the nursery, looking at her brother and her niece with a half smile on her face, Klaus looked up at her for a moment before continuing to tell Hope his story. "And, you should know, my littlest wolf, that even when all seems burnt to ash—in our story, there is _always_ another chapter to be told."

 _ **The Village in the New World that would one day become Mystic Falls...**_

 _Klaus, Rebekah, Kol, Elijah and Finn were in a clearing somewhere in the woods, Kol chasing Rebekah, both of them smiling and laughing, while Klaus and Elijah dueled happily with sticks, pretending they were swords, and Finn sat on a tree stump by himself, supervising and silently judging all of them. All of them were children for the most part, Finn the oldest looking to be around the age of fourteen to sixteen. Esther then arrived in the clearing, Finn running to join her side, and Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah stopping what they were doing to go join their mother and older brother._

 **Author's Note** : _I'm sorry it took so long for me to write it but here it is. Hopefully you all enjoyed the last chapter! And hopefully you all looked forward to other stories set in the same AU universe I've created with this story. A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and followed this story through to the bitter end, even when the story wasn't that good at times. Special thanks to Dante 101, Stand with Ward and Salvatore, and -angel (she gave me the idea for that scene at the end there, with the Mikaelsons as children) for allowing me to borrow and use some of their ideas. I'm not sure if I would commit to writing an Alternate Season Three of the Originals just yet, but I've watched the first episode, and I won't give out any spoilers for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but there's this new character Lucian who I already love and I feel would be really interesting to write for. Anyhow, write a review if you want to let me know what you thought of this chapter, and what you thought of this story in general (maybe things you liked or things you feel I could improve on for writing future stories).  
_


	46. Update

An Update of Sorts

So I've decided to commit to writing an Originals Season 3 AU, how long it's going to be, I can't say as of right now. But I already have a lot of ideas for it and here's what I can tease. There will be a 3 or so month time jump. Klaus and Cami will be struggling to define their relationship, even as Aurora comes in and threatens to tear them apart. We'll also have Elijah trying to recover from the events of last season as he becomes a darker character (vague I know, sorry). Rebekah will still be hanging out in New Orleans, having moments with Marcel but still hesitant to get back together with him. She'll also be butting heads with Freya, as Freya tries to earn Rebekah's forgiveness for the role she played in the Eva Sinclair crisis. Then there's Kol. As it turns out, Elijah's not the only one out for revenge. Kol will have turned ten or so vampires in the past few months, and sent them to different places in the country to keep an eye out for one Jeremy Gilbert. He decides to stay in his original body until he can pay Jeremy back for killing him, and Davina decides to help him with this. Oh and Marcel's storyline will be more or less the same as the one he has in the current season.

Also, I have posted a story that will be set between Seasons 2 and 3 AU, called Sometimes There's Honour in Revenge. It follows Elijah after the events of this season, ridding himself of that Ripper curse that Dahlia placed on him and mourning the loss of Katherine. His mourning ultimately leads him to pay a visit to Mystic Falls, where he plans to get more details on the death of his Katerina. What he learns inspires him to take vengeance on the Salvatore Brothers for the role they played in Katherine's demise. If that sounds interesting to you, be sure to check it out.

I hope to see most of you back for my Season 3 story. I promise it'll be a little less hectic than Season 2 AU was towards the end.

These will be the main characters in the Season 3 story:

Main Cast

Joseph Morgan as Niklaus Mikaelson  
Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson  
Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson  
Nathaniel Buzolic as Kol Mikaelson  
Riley Voelkel as Freya Mikaelson  
Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley Marshall-Kenner  
Charles Michael Davis as Marcel Gerard  
Leah Pipes as Camille O'Connell  
Danielle Campbell as Davina Claire


	47. Second Update

The first chapter sequel story is officially up, _The Originals Alternate Season Three_ , be sure to check it out if interested.


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